Agric . Dept .  Agric . Educ 


ID 


JOURNALISM 
FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


A  guide-book  for  students  in  conducting 
the  school  paper,  and  in  preparing  them- 
selves for  newspaper  work  as  a  profession 


BY 
CHARLES  DILLON 

Formerly  Professor  of  Industrial  Journalism  in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College 

at  Manhattan 


LLOYD  ADAMS  NOBLE,  Publisher 
31  West  15th  Street  New  York  City 


COPYRIGHT  1918 
BY  LLOYD  ADAMS  NOB 

AGRIC.  DEPT, 


h'or\ 


PREFACE 


WITH  more  than  forty  state  institutions  offering 
courses  in  journalism  as  an  elective  study,  it  seems  logical 
to  assume  that  sufficient  interest  has  been  manifested  to 
warrant  the  writing  of  a  book  giving  definite  preparation 
for  such  work  in  the  high  school  years.  Persons  familiar 
with  such  questions  have  long  known  that  few  students 
enrolling  in  the  freshman  year  in  college  have  any  clear 
idea  of  just  what  they  intend  to  do.  Too  frequently 
journalism  is  chosen  to  fill  out  the  assignments  in  college 
without  any  intelligent  conception  of  its  requirements, 
and  just  as  often,  perhaps,  the  student  is  disappointed 
after  weeks  or  months  have  been  wasted  in  attempting 
work  for  which  he  is  unsuited.  It  is  with  the  hope  of 
eliminating  this  doubt  and  wasted  time  that  I  have 
arranged  the  program  of  study  set  down  in  this  little 
book.  Why  should  not  the  high  school  student  know 
before  going  to  college  whether  he  cares  to  undertake 
journalism  as  part  of  his  course?  With  hundreds  of 
high  schools  printing  papers  of  one  sort  or  another,  usually 
for  practice  in  writing,  why  should  not  the  methods  and 
the  ethics  of  this  old  profession  be  made  plain  in  the 
formative  years,  when  association  and  proper  direction 
have  the  strongest  influence  in  deciding  the  career  to  be 
chosen?  I  believe  careful  study  of 'the  methods  and  rules 

iii 

500179 


iv  PREFACE 

presented  here  will  provide  the  help  so  many  of  these 
students  need. 

The  managers  of  newspapers,  farm  journals,  trade  and 
professional  periodicals,  and  of  great  commercial  and 
industrial  enterprises  also,  find  it  increasingly  difficult 
to  obtain  men  and  women  who  are  competent  to  write 
concise,  simple,  correctly  spelled  English.  Moreover,  in 
striving  for  the  sensational  or  so-called  popular  form  of 
presentation  too  many  forget  the  importance  of  accuracy, 
and  so  give  evidence  and  conviction  to  the  charge  of 
carelessness,  or  worse,  so  frequently  lodged  against  news- 
papers and  magazines.  Vocabularies  burdened  with 
trite,  shopworn  phrases  are  the  despair  of  employers 
in  every  publishing  house,  whether  the  product  be  a  news- 
paper, a  farm  journal,  a  magazine,  or  books. 

In  arranging  the  material  presented  here  some  peda- 
gogical necessities  have  been  remembered.  Every  exam- 
ple has  stood  the  test  of  long  experience  and  of  editorial 
supervision  in  standard  colleges,  newspaper  offices  and 
•publishing  houses.  In  brief  the  accepted  method  is  pre- 
sented by  use  of  which  a  writer  may  gain  respectful  con- 
sideration for  his  product  whether  he  be  student,  teacher, 
reporter  or  man  of  business. 

''Magazines  and  newspapers  never  sleep  or  take 
vacations,"  said  Professor  J.  T.  Willard,  Dean  of  Science 
in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College.  "Their  power 
to  elevate  mankind  is  incalculable.  But  printed  knowl- 
edge becomes  effective  only  as  it  is  read,  and  to  be  read 
in  this  day  it  must  stand  out  from  the  great  mass  of  other 
matter,  and  gain  the  attention  and  hold  the  interest  of 
the  reader.  To  do  this  its  points  must  be  sharp  and  easily 


PREFACE  v* 

seen,  and  the  style  must  be  attractive.  But  if  the  pres- 
entation is  not  essentially  true,  the  more  attractive  it  is 
the  worse  it  is;  the  greater  the  harm  that  follows  its 
reading." 

CHARLES  DILLON. 
TOPEKA,  KANSAS. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

PREFACE iii 

THE  HIGH  SCHOOL  PAPER i 

IN  ACTUAL  PRACTICE 3 

THE  EQUIPMENT 9 

THE  STAFF 1 1 

PAYING  ITS  WAY 13 

MAKING  UP  THE  PAPER 17 

THE  TYPE  FOR  ADVERTISING 27 

WRITING  THE  HEADLINES 30 

PREPARATION  OF  COPY 43 

THE  NAMES  OF  THINGS — ILLUSTRATIONS 48 

CAUTIONS  FOR  WRITERS 50 

STUDYING  THE  EXCHANGES 60 

WHAT  Is  SCHOOL  NEWS? '. . .  62 

SPECIAL  ARTICLES 66 

INTERVIEWS 73 

THE  WRITING  OF  FICTION 79 

EDITORIAL  WRITING 86 

THE  PAPER,  THE  SCHOOL,  AND  THE  ALUMNI: 90 

STYLE 92 

MIXED  METAPHORS,  AND  OTHER  ERRORS 98 

THE  LAW  OF  COPYRIGHT 106 

THE  LAW  OF  LIBEL no 

JOURNALISM,   COLLEGE,   UNIVERSITY,   AND  PROFES- 
SIONAL   112 

NOTES  ON  NEWSPAPER  HISTORY , . . .   115 

vii 


Journalism  for  High  Schools 


THE  HIGH  SCHOOL  PAPER 

EVERY  high  school  should  have  a  paper,  and  if  the 
best  results  are  to  be  obtained  it  should  be  published  once 
a  week.  If  the  purpose .  be  to  give  students  practice  in 
writing,  and  that  should  be  the  first  thought,  it  should 
be  a  real  paper,  not  a  toy,  no  matter  how  small  it  may  be, 
and  every  line  written  by  students  should  be  supervised 
by  at  least  one  member  of  the  faculty.  To  conduct  the 
enterprise  without  competent  direction  is  to  waste  time 
and  material,  and  very  often  to  injure  the  school.  No 
better  practice  in  the  use  of  language  could  be  devised 
than  is  to  be  found  in  writing  of  a  day's  events;  but  once 
permitted  to  go  uncensored,  unedited  by  a  careful  proof- 
reader in  the  school,  the  whole  plan  becomes  worse  than 
failure  because  it  will  create  a  false  idea  of  the  proper 
writing  of  English.  No  school  should  have  a  paper  for 
any  other  purpose  than  to  set  up  and  maintain  the  right 
standards  and  ideals. 

Inevitably  the  writing  of  a  paper  will  attract  students 
who  believe  that  later  in  life  they  may  wish  to  engage  in 
journalism  in  one  or  another  of  its  special  fields  as  a 
career.  Quite  naturally  the  experience  will  prove  to  be  a 
process  of  elimination.  A  few  months,  often  only  a  few 


2  JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


weeks  will  be  needed  to  prove  that  some  of  these  boys 
and  girls  were  mistaken,  their  enthusiasm  short-lived. 
This  fact,  unfortunately,  seldom  is  discovered  until  one 
or  two  terms  in  college  have  been  wasted  in  trying  to 
understand  the  purposes  of  the  course  in  journalism. 

A  student  who  is  interested  sincerely  in  newspaper 
work,  who  wishes  earnestly  to  fit  himself  for  a  career  in 
that  profession,  will  not  need  to  be  urged  to  produce  copy 
for  his  school  paper.  It  provides  his  first  genuine  chance 
to  write  for  publication  something  to  be  read  by  those 
whom  he  wishes  to  please,  whose  praise  or  approval  he 
values.  When  the  number  of  students  who  measure  up 
to  these  requirements  is  compared  with  those  who  seldom 
write  except  under  compulsion,  it  is  not  difficult  to  under- 
stand why  the  school  paper  may  be  a  perfect  machine  for 
testing  the  students'  real  attitude  toward  journalism; 
or  why  it  may  be  a  dreary  failure  instead  of  a  very  valuable 
asset.  The  boys  and  girls  who  do  the  work  that  falls  to 
their  share  will  know  when  they  go  to  college  whether  they 
care  to  undertake  journalism  in  one  of  its  branches  as  a 
career,  or  to  enroll  in  the  course  merely  for  the  practice 
in  writing,  an  important  part  of  any  man's  equipment  in 
the  business  or  professional  world. 

A  student  assigned  to  write  about  an  actual  happening, 
something  he  has  seen  or  expects  to  see,  is  almost  certain 
to  produce  a  better  theme  or  story  than  will  be  turned  in 
by  the  average  boy  whose  task  is  500  words  on  the  con- 
struction of  Ivankoe  or  The  Winter's  Tale.  This  is  not 
intended,  of  course,  to  detract  from  the  value  and  im- 
portance of  the  study  of  literature,  for  in  this  the  boy 
prepares  himself  to  write  about  the  news  event.  Obvi- 


IN  ACTUAL  PRACTICE  3 

ously  if  he  neglects  the  work  in  English  he  will  have  no 
vocabulary,  no  treasury  on  which  to  draw.  The  excel- 
lence of  the  high  school  paper,  then,  rests  primarily  upon 
the  foundation  built  with  good  books.  Certainly  no 
such  paper  can  have  any  value  as  practice  if  students  put 
into  it  only  the  language  of  the  ball  field  or  the  gymnasium. 

Careful  preparation,  censorship,  faculty  supervision 
will  produce  the  high-class,  commendable  school  paper. 
Censorship  should  not  mean  the  excluding  of  all  humor 
or  student  merriment  from  the  weekly  paper  or  the  class 
annual.  But  it  should  mean  the  eliminating  of  attacks 
on  those  who  have  no  chance  to  defend  themselves;  in- 
sinuations likely  to  injure  the  good  reputation  of  boy  or 
girl;  "getting  even"  with  some  member  of  the  board  or 
faculty  whose  idea  of  duty  has  made  him  unpopular; 
caricatures  that  wound;  jokes  that  leave  a  sting;  slang 
that  reflects  unfavorably  on  the  intelligence  of  writers, 
and,  in  short,  every  form  of  coarse,  questionable  wit  or 
sarcasm  resorted  to  by  persons  who  seize  eagerly  an  oppor- 
tunity to  injure  others  anonymously.  Wholesome  fun, 
and  every  school  abounds  with  it,  is  enjoyed  by  all 
normal  human  beings.  Satire  adds  no  laurels  to  the 
writer,  and  cynicism  is  not  an  evidence  of  mature  wisdom. 

In  Actual  Practice.  The  most  carefully  edited 
metropolitan  daily  papers,  and  good  trade  and  agricul- 
tural journals,  should  be  examined  for  specimen  stories  or 
items.  Note  the  principal  facts  upon  which  these  stories 
are  based,  and  then  observe  how  those  facts  are  described 
in  detail.  Analyze  every  sentence  and  paragraph  for  the 
information  the  writer  seeks  to  convey.  Set  down  in  a 
note  book  any  unusual  words  in  the  story,  and  watch  for 


JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


an  opportunity  to  use  them  in  your  own  writing.  Con- 
trast the  items  you  have  selected  with  items  in  the  high 
school  paper,  and  discuss  with  the  faculty  adviser  the 
different  methods  of  treatment. 

While  it  would  be  unjust  to  expect  gravity  in  every- 
thing written  by  the  student  staff,  the  tendency  to  write 
trivial  and  silly  items  will  disappear  if  the  best  news- 
papers and  magazines  are  studied,  or  at  least  that  ten- 
dency will  be  very  largely  discouraged.  Such  exercise 
may  be  resented,  gloomily,  at  first,  but  after  the  school 
paper  has  been  quoted  in  reputable  publications  a  few 
times  the  writers  will  know  the  satisfaction  that  comes 
to  those  whose  work  has  been  done  well  enough  to  merit 
outside  attention. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  better  way  to  emphasize  the  im- 
portance of  mature  supervision  than  to  show  here  a 
paragraph  clipped  from  a  high  school  paper  over  which, 
apparently,  the  faculty  has  no  control: 


Help!  Police!  Thieves!  This  was  the 
cry  of  the  frightened  Physics  u  class 
Wednesday  morning  when  Mr.  ,  in- 
structor, stepped  into  the  lecture  room 
and  found  the  package  of  test  papers,  indis- 
pensable to  his  marvelous  discovery  of  len- 
minute  "quizzes"  that  have  won  for  him 

renown  in  the  halls  of  the  high 

school  had  been  taken  from  his  desk ! 


It  should  not  be  difficult  to  convince  students  that  no 
newspaper  conducted  by  experienced,  normal,  human 
beings  ever  printed  or  would  print  such  an  item.  A  little 
reflection  and  study  should  prove  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
staff  that  the  writer  of  this  piece  not  only  spoiled  a  really 
good  story  but  in  trying  to  be  funny  about  it  actually 


IN  ACTUAL  PRACTICE 


set  down  what  did  not  happen,  and  made  his  paper 
ridiculous  by  affecting  levity  in  telling  about  cheating  in 
examinations.  Such  an  item,  read  by  parents  or  others 
not  familiar  with  the  situation,  places  the  school  in  dis- 
repute. What  the  parents  might  think  of  the  student's 
English  diction  also  is  worth  considering.  This  point 
and  its  significance  is  emphasized  in  a  paragraph  taken 
from  the  seniors'  column  in  another  high  school  paper; 
the  punctuation  is  reproduced  exactly: 

A  hardhearted  blonde,  of  the  senior 
class,  came  near  committing  a  serious 
crime  Tuesday  night  this  week,  when,  ac- 
companied by  her  dark  haired  chum,  who 
is  much  taller  and  much  kinder-hearted, 
this  little  maiden  went  to  the  library  to 
get  her  history  notes,  but  before  leaving 
home  she  called  up  a  boy  friend,  and  delib- 
erately told  him  that  he  should  come  to 
the  library  at  9  o'clock,  and  bring  her 
chum's  rosy-headed  friend  with  him. 

Here,  in  sharp  and  pleasing  contrast,  is  an  editorial 
from  another  high  school  paper,  written  by  a  senior 
student : 

A  school  is  judged  by  the  conduct  of  the 
persons  in  it,  both  in  and  out  of  school.  If 
one  of  us  gets  into  trouble  on  account  of 
some  act  or  other  the  world  at  large  con- 
cludes that  we  are  all  of  the  same  caliber. 
Therefore  every  one  of  us  should  see  that 
we  do  nothing  which  can  reflect  upon  the 
good  name  of  the  school,  and  we  should  try 
to  encourage  all  things  which  add  to  the 
good  reputation  of  the  school. 

« 

Every  school  activity  can  be  described  in  good  English, 
and  this  includes  athletics.  An  outlet  for  humor  should 
be  provided  in  a  column  set  apart  for  the  purpose,  but  it 
should  be  clean,  with  a  proper  restraint.  In  short,  the 


6  JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

high  school  paper  should  aim  high  so  that  in  after  years 
the  files  will  be  a  source  of  pride  instead  of  regret.  Its 
purposes  and  its  policies  are  well  described  in  this  edi- 
torial : 

It  is  the  desire  and  intention  of  the  pres- 
ent staff  of  this  paper  to  make  Red  and 
Black,  while  under  its  control,  outshine  all 
productions  of  former  years.  We  have 
made  a  departure  from  the  usual  order  in 
appointing  a  faculty  adviser  who,  although 
doing  nothing  herself,  will  be  ever  ready  to 
lend  a  helping  hand  to  any  poor  editor  who 
has  found  his  Rubicon.  One  of  our  chief 
ejideavors  will  be  to  instil  some  "pep" 
into  this  magazine  gotten  out  by  one  of  the 
"peppiest"  high  schools  in  the  South. 

We  shall  attempt,  as  far  as  lies  in  our 
power,  to  make  the  paper  satisfy  the  needs 
of  every  student.  The  various  depart- 
men  ts  will  be  brimful  of  news  of  interest  to 
a  Hillsboroite.  The  literary  department, 
especially,  gives  promise  of  being  very 
good.  Its  aim  is  not  only  to  give  aspiring 
authors  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  "chil- 
dren of  their  brains"  in  print,  but  also  to 
give  the  students  a  chance  to  read  some 
of  the  best  short  stories  of  modern  times. 
The  purpose  of  the  local  editors  is  to  keep 
us  acquainted  with  the  activities  of  the 
several  classes.  Our  exchanges  keep  us 
in  touch  with  other  schools;  the  athletic 
department  gives  an  account  showing 
whether  the  Terriers  beat  or  are  beaten, 
and  the  joke  column  contains  a  summary 
of  the  wise  and  witty  sayings  of  the  Sol- 
omons of  the  age — in  Hillsboro. 

To  get  the  best  results  in  news-gathering  the  staff 
should  meet  at  least  three  times  a  week,  and  in  the  begin- 
ning of  its  career  should  have  present  either  the  local 
editor  or  a  teacher  of  English.  To  neglect  such  frequent 
conferences  is  dangerous  to  discipline,  creates  confusion, 
and  results  in  a  shifting  of  responsibility  which  sooner  or 


IN  ACTUAL  PRACTICE 


later  brings  disaster.  Particular  attention  should,  of 
course,  be  given  to  proofreading.  Printers  will  make  no 
correction  not  plainly  marked  on  the  proof.  An  example, 
reproduced  on  page  8,  showing  the  need  of  constant  atten- 
tion to  this  part  of  high  school  journalism,  is  quoted  from 
a  monthly  paper  or  book  prepared  by  students  in  a  town 
in  the  Middle  West.  It  is  characteristic  of  many  such 
articles  in  the  same  publication. 

The  need  of  careful  editing  and  condensing  is  shown  in 
this  item: 

A  meeting  of  the  Sophomore  Girls'  So- 
ciety was  held  on  Thursday,  October  igth. 
Plans  for  a  big  Puritan  Dance  were  dis- 
cussed. It  will  be  held  on  the  Friday  be- 
fore Thanksgiving  in  the  big  gymnasium. 
All  sophomore  girls  whose  dues  are  paid 
are  entitled  to  a  ticket  admitting  her  and 
an  escort.  For  others  it  is  15  cents  sin- 
gle, and  25  cents  a  couple.  It's  to  be  a 
real  dance  with  extra  fine  music.  Refresh- 
ments will  be  served,  and  there  is  to  be  an 
interesting  program.  Be  sure  and  come! 
Everybody!  Your  money  will  be  well 
spent. 

An  editor,  remembering  the  value  of  space,  and  having 
regard  for  the  diction  of  his  contributors,  might  be  ex- 
pected to  send  this  information  to  the  composing  room  in 
this  form : 

The  Sophomore  Girls'  Society  met 
Thursday,  October  igth,  and  arranged  for 
a  Puritan  dance,  to  be  given  Friday  before 
Thanksgiving  in  the  gymnasium.  Sopho- 
more girls  whose  dues  are  paid  are  entitled 
to  tickets  for  themselves  and  their  escorts. 
For  others  the  charge  will  be  15  cents  a 
person  or  25  cents  a  couple.  There  will  be 
good  music,  and  refreshments  will  be 
served.  Be  sure  to  come  and  enjoy  your- 
selves. 


JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

The  New  Lincoln  School 


The  'Junior  High   School  is  H«^i  on  the 

north  part  of  the  Central  School  grounds  and  faces  the* 
south.     It  occupies  the  width  of  the  block  between  Sev- 
enth  and  Eighth  streets.   It  is  constructed  of  dark  brick 
and  concrete  and  is  decorated  with  symbols  of  learning 
and  other  designs.     Over  the  main  entfrance  is  a  design    *" 
of  the  "Alma  Mater"  teaching  a  boy  and  a  girl.     There 
are  four  floors,  the  sub-  basement,  basement,  first  and 
second  floors.     The  sub-basement  contains  the  ventilat- 
ing  system,    the    gymnasium,    and     the  furnace  room.  _ 
The  furnace  room  has  twolof  the  next    largest^  fur.iaces 
of   that    construction)       Either    of    these    will  heat  the 
building.     The  gymnasium  is  forty -six  feet  by    seventy 
twc^feet  with  dressing  rooms  and  shower  bath   opening 
it.     The  heating  and  ventilating  system    occupies 
most  of  the  subi  basement.     The  fresh  air  comes   from 
opening  in  the  wall  and    passes  through  a  spray  of* 
water,  a^nd  is  heated    to  about  a  hundred   and    twenty 
degrees.     It  is  then  driven  through  the  building  by  two 


enormous  fans  which  make  three  hutfclred  revolutions 


minufe  and  are  run  by  two  tenf horse Tpower  electric 
^motors.  The  basement  comes  next.  The  east  end  of 
thh  floor  is  devoted  to  the  girlsfcTepartment  and  has  the 
domestic  art,  domestic  science  and  lunch  room  and  girls — 
toilet  room  The  west  end  is  for  the  boys,  and  has  the 
manual  training,  printing,  painting,  and  bo/3?tbilet 
^room.  The  manual  training  and  |/rintmg  rooms  are 
fitted  with  machinery  and  toolsJtxTTvprk  wjthT>(  There 
is  no  connecting  dopj^-o^Ttfiis  floo/f  between  the  boy 
and  girlf  s^d^pa-rtfnents.  The  firs/t  floor  is  reached -b^  ^ 
the  jn^rnen  trance.  On  this  floor  are  six  class  rooms.) 


ass 


mbly  hall,  study  hall,  and  the  principal's  office.        ly  t 

I  W  ' 


THE  EQUIPMENT  9 

The  Equipment.  Before  deciding  to  have  a  paper 
those  chiefly  interested,  which  number  will,  of  course, 
include  several  members  of  the  faculty,  should  consider 
carefully  the  human  material  at  hand.  Has  any  member 
of  the  teaching  force  had  newspaper  or  magazine  experi- 
ence? Can  the  editor  of  the  local  paper  be  depended 
upon  to  give  his  advice  and  assistance,  and  will  he,  if 
practicable,  set  aside  a  column  in  his  own  paper  for  a  few 
weeks  exclusively  for  school  news  written  by  the  students, 
so  that  when  the  paper  finally  is  established  it  may  have  a 
fairly  well-prepared  staff?  Will  the  journalism  depart- 
ment in  the  state  college  or  the  university  provide  the 
information  needed  in  getting  the  paper  started?  Can 
the  school  afford  its  own  printing  plant,  or  shall  the  paper 
be  printed  in  a  local  plant,  by  contract  ? 

Because  of  the  frequent  fluctuations  in  prices  charged 
for  printing  it  is  difficult  to  give  more  than  an  idea  of  how 
much,  approximately,  the  school  may  have  to  pay  for  its 
work  by  contract.  Some  monthly  school  magazines  in 
the  Middle  West  pay  $50  for  an  issue  of  twenty  pages. 
One  pays  $2  a  page  for  issues  of  1000  copies  having  from 
24  to  48  pages;  and  this,  in  the  smaller  cities,  is  the  price 
commonly  charged. 

Although  nearly  all  high  school  papers  are  printed  by 
contract,  it  will  be  worth  while  here  to  present  estimates 
for  two  of  the  less  expensive  outfits  arranged,  by  the  sales 
manager  of  one  of  the  largest  type  foundries.  The  first 
outfit  might  easily  be  bought  by  a  high  school,  but  its 
operation  would  call  for  skill  not  possessed  by  students, 
and  not  likely  to  be  acquired  by  them  without  expert 
direction.  A  school  having  a  manual  teaching  staff  might 


io         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

very  well  undertake  such  work.     The  Pilot  Lever  press 
will  print  a  paper  as  large  as  any  high  school  should  have: 


PILOT   LEVER  OUTFIT 

I  Pilot  Lever  press,  6£X io  inches $  35 . oo 

i  All  brass  galley,  6X  io  inches 2 . oo 

I  Imposing  stone,  12X18  inches 2 .  oo 

25  Pounds  lo-point  Caslcn  Old  Roman  type .' 14-65 

I  Font  each,  8-,  12-  and  i8-point  Plate  Text  No.  4  type 8 . 25 

i  Font  each,  6-point  No.  2,  4;  8-point  No.  6;  lo-point  No.  7  and 

12-point  No.  9,  Lining  Plate  Gothic 6. 20 

i  Font  each,  8-,  12-,  18-,  24  point  Caslon  Old  Roman n .  75 

i  Font  each,  6-,  8-,  io-,  12-,  18-,  24-point  spaces  and  quads 3.15 

i  Pair  new  cases i .  60 

7  California  job,  and  two  Triple  cases 8.10 

i  Single  stand,  No.  4  for  12  cases 3-25 

i  Font  copper  and  brass  thin  spaces .00 

I  Pound  font  2-point  L.  S.  single  rule .60 

I  Pound  font  L.  S.  bevel  music  rule .60 

5  Pounds  2-point  L.  S.  leads .00 

5  Pounds  6-point  L.  S.  slugs .00 

\  Dozen  Challenge  Hempel  quoins  No.  i,  and  key i . 50 

i  Small  mallet  and  planer .50 

I  Six-inch  Yankee  stick .75 

Assortment  of  inks I .  oo 

i  Harris  rule  case  No.  i 1.25 


$107.15 

The  more  pretentious,  six-column  paper  involves  a  still 
higher  degree  of  skill  in  typesetting  and  in  ''making  up." 
Some  schools  produce  papers  of  this  size,  but  it  is  some- 
what risky  because  of  the  uncertainty  attending  the 
supply  of  "copy."  Two  hundred  dollars  is  rather  more 
than  many  high  schools  could  invest  in  equipment  in 
which  the  depreciation  is  so  rapid  and  expensive: 


THE   STAFF  n 

ARMY    PRESS    FOR    SIX-COLUMN    PAPER 

1  Army  press,  14X20  inches $  60. oo 

3  All-brass  galleys,  3!  X23|  inches 6 . oo 

2  Six-inch  composing  sticks 1 . 50 

3  Pairs  new  cases 4 . 80 

6  Job  and  Triple  cases 5 . 40 

I  News  stand 3.75 

Mallet,  planer,  lye  brush 1 . 10 

IO  Pounds  news  ink 2 . oo 

10  Column  rules,  6-point,  5  short 5.25 

3  Head  rules,  6-point,  2  double,  i  parallel 1 . 20 

20  Advertising  rules;    10  double;    10  single  dashes 1 . 70 

20  Pounds  leads  and  slugs  cut  to  measure 4 .  oo 

I  Head  for  the  paper .' 2 . 50 

75  Pounds  lo-point  Roman,  standard  line 34. 50 

50  Pounds  8-point,  standard  line 26 .  oo 

Font  8-point  Woodward 2.25 

Font  8-point  Woodward  extended 2.25 

Font  lo-point  Woodward . ; 2 . 50 

Font  lo-point  Woodward  extended 2 . 50 

Font  lo-point  Woodward  condensed 2 . 50 

Font  i8-point  Woodward 3 . 20 

Font  i8-point  spaces  and  quads .55 

$175-45 

The  Staff.  Social  popularity  is  not  necessarily  a 
proof  of  business  ability.  Students  who  are  to  have 
charge  of  the  business  affairs  of  the  school  paper  should  be 
selected  with  regard  to  their  class  standing.  They  should 
be  young  men  and  young  women  of  pleasing  personality 
and  keen  intelligence  who  are  likely  to  realize  that  the 
project  they  are  undertaking  involves  certain  moral 
standards  not  lightly  to  be  set  aside.  It  is  an  excellent 
course  in  business  management,  and  it  provides  what 
many  persons  believe  to  be  the  most  interesting  laboratory. 


12         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

Ordinarily  the  seniors  should  lead  the  work  of  organiza- 
tion, but  the  juniors,  sophomores  and  freshmen  should 
have  positions  and  assignments  agreeable  to  their  differ- 
ent educational  qualifications.  In  this  way  there  will  be 
the  proper  incentive  to  work  for  promotion,  and  a  laudable 
spirit  of  competition  will  be  engendered  which,  if  the 
underclassmen  are  ambitious,  will  prevent  the  paper's 
becoming  wholly  a  senior  publication.  The  year  in 
which  he  is  to  be  graduated  should  appear  after  the  name 
of  every  member  of  the  staff.  Here  is  an  ideal  arrange- 
ment, offered  as  a  suggestion : 

POINT  COMFORT  WEEKLY 


Printed  every  Thursday  by  the  students  of 
the    Washburn    High    School,    Rich- 
mond, New  Hampshire 


Thursday,  November  27,  1916. 


JOHN  W.  RILEY Managing  Editor 

1918 

Associate  Editors 

MARTHA  WASHINGTON,  '18 Locals 

MARY  SCOTT,  '18 Society 

MARCO  MORROW,  '18 Athletics 

J.  E.  GRIEST,  '18 Alumni 

WILDER  RHOADS,  '19 Exchanges 

STANLEY  POWELL,  '19 Art 

MARY  WILLIAMS,  '20 ....  Domestic  Science 

STELLA  NASH,  '20 Faculty  News 

FLOYD  NICHOLS,  '21 Agriculture 

Business  Department 
GEORGE  STRATTON,  '18.  Business  Manager 

D.  W.  HUDDLESTON,  '18 Circulation 

J.  L.  VINCENT,  '18 Advertising 

Faculty  Advisers 

Miss  RICE          PROFESSOR  J.  E.  BROWN 
PROFESSOR  WHITE 


PAYING  ITS  WAY  13 

To  the  foregoing  list  may  be  added,  of  course,  several 
other  assignments  having  interesting  possibilities.  Among 
these  are  literary  editor,  personals,  drama,  and  any  other 
school  activity  not  included  in  the  staff  shown.  Occa- 
sionally, too,  the  paper  may  be  turned  over  for  one  issue 
to  the  girls  or  to  some  special  class.  When  this  happens 
the  names  of  those  chosen  for  the  week  should,  of  course, 
be  substituted  for  the  regular  staff.  As  the  girls  pre- 
paring the  special  edition  probably  will  have  had  no 
experience  in  making  up  a  paper  the  regular  staff,  or  at 
least  the  managing  editor,  should  give  all  the  help  needed 
in  that  task.  This  service  will  not  detract  from  the  girls' 
record  for  getting  out  the  paper.  In  some  of  the  larger 
cities,  notably  Chicago,  the  special  editions  of  high  school 
papers  are  prepared  with  new  cover,  and  sometimes  with 
an  entire  change  of  type  throughout  the  edition.  Such 
elaborate  plans  are  expensive,  however. 

The  staff  must  have  an  office.  Good  work  cannot  be 
done  without  it.  The  school  authorities  should  set  aside 
one  room  in  which  the  students  may  have  their  desks 
or  tables,  their  personal  belongings,  books  of  reference, 
dictionary,  directory;  typewriters  and  supply  of  paper. 
Here  the  editors  and  the  reporters  should  do  all  work  for 
the  paper.  Here  all  meetings  should  be  held.  The  name 
of  the  paper  should  be  on  the  door.  To  have  the  work 
done  and  the  meetings  held  in  the  students'  homes  will 
prove  a  failure.  The  first  lesson  in  dignity,  the  pleasure 
in  owning  something,  of  being  in  business,  comes  when 
the  school  staff  moves  into  its  own  office. 

Paying  Its  Way.  It  should  be  realized  in  the  beginning 
that  the  revenue  from  subscriptions  will  not  pay  for  the 


i4         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

paper  and  its  printing.  Advertising  must  be  sought, 
and  this  puts  the  school  into  direct  competition  with  local 
newspapers  whose  owners,  especially  in  a  small  town, 
usually  need  the  business  very  much  more  than  do  the 
students.  In  justice  they  are  entitled  to  it  without 
coming  into  conflict  with  the  schools  which  they  are 
taxed  to  support.  However,  if  the  staff  still  is  determined 
to  solicit  advertising  it  should  engage  expert  advice  from 
the  state  college  or  university  in  preparing  contracts  for  the 
space  sold.  If  only  local  advertising  is  to  be  sought  the 
work  may  be  entrusted  to  one  of  the  older  students,  but  if 
outside  or  national  business  is  desired  the  paper  should  be 
listed  with  one  of  the  advertising  agencies  in  the  larger 
cities.  These  agencies  charge  a  commission  on  all  adver- 
tising placed  for  their  clients.  That  is  to  say  the  large 
advertisers  pay  the  agencies  for  placing  their  business. 
The  paper  expecting  to  get  a  share  of  this  business  must 
satisfy  the  agency  as  to  circulation,  not  only  in  volume 
but  sometimes  in  quality  also.  It  is  important  for  the 
agent  to  know  whether  the  medium  he  selects  goes  into 
homes  or  into  the  campus  trash  cans.  Quality  has  much 
to  do  with  the  rate. 

Business  managers  of  high  school  papers  should  be 
very  careful  in  accepting  advertising  contracts  from 
agencies  at  a  great  distance.  Among  the  many  agencies 
in  business  there  are  certain  to  be  some  whose  methods 
are  not  always  what  they  should  be.  It  will  be  important 
for  business  managers  to  inquire  into  the  commercial 
standing  of  every  agency.  Having  accepted  a  contract, 
copies  of  the  paper  carrying  the  advertising  should  be 
sent  to  the  agency  promptly  upon  publication,  by  regis- 


PAYING   ITS  WAY  15 

tered  mail,  as  proof  that  the  paper  has  done  its  part. 
This  is  necessary  because  many  of  the  agencies  pay  for 
advertising  for  their  clients  and  are  required  to  show 
proof  of  service.  The  contract  should  stipulate  that  bills 
are  to  be  paid  promptly  every  sixty  or  ninety  days,  and 
no  excuses  for  delayed  payments  should  be  accepted. 
Almost  all  national  advertisers  pay  the  agencies  without 
any  delay,  and  the  same  treatment  for  the  school  paper 
should  be  insisted  upon. 

Ordinarily  no  subscriptions  or  advertising  can  be 
obtained  until  the  students  have  something  to  show  the 
prospective  customers.  Therefore  a  "  dummy "  is  pre- 
pared. This  is  a  copy  or  sample  of  the  proposed  paper 
as  it  is  to  appear  regularly.  It  may  be  made  up  of  school 
news,  essays  or  short  stories  written  by  the  students,  and 
a  number  of  free  advertisements,  set  up  to  show  type 
faces,  and  positions  to  be  sold.  With  this  sample  the 
students,  in  seeking  patronage,  will  in  reality  make  a 
survey  which  will  serve  to  indicate  the  paper's  chances  for 
success. 

No  contract  for  printing  the  paper  should  be  signed 
until  the  entire  project  has  been  described  to  the  school 
at  morning  assembly,  or  in  some  other  meeting  of  students 
and  faculty.  In  order  to  give  students  an  opportunity  to 
consult  their  parents,  no  subscriptions  should  be  requested 
in  a  preliminary  meeting,  but  another  meeting  for  this 
purpose  should  be  announced  for  a  date  not  more  than 
two  or  three  days  distant.  At  that  time  subscription 
blanks  should  be  signed,  and  the  money  paid  to  a  com- 
mittee or  treasurer  before  adjournment.  No  chances 
should  be  taken  in  this  part  of  the  negotiations.  School 


16         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

"pep"  very  often  does  not  produce  money  if  allowed  to 
die  out.  No  amount  of  sentiment  will  pay  the  bills  for 
paper  and  printing.  The  business  must  be  gone  into 
carefully  and  wisely,  with  a  full  and  intelligent  under- 
standing of  its  responsibilities.  Such  activities  will  bring 
to  the  surface  whatever  business  ability  the  students  may 
have,  and  frequently  will  develop  the  most  gratifying 
results.  With  encouragement  from  the  faculty,  the 
experiences  encountered  in  getting  the  paper  properly 
started  will  prove  a  very  important  part  of  the  boys'  and 
girls'  education.  They  will  learn  the  value  of  a  dollar. 
With  this  knowledge  will  come  a  keen  understanding  of 
the  importance  of  living  up  to  obligations.  In  this  one 
regard,  if  in  no  other,  the  boys  and  girls  concerned  in 
printing  and  managing  papers  in  schools  and  colleges 
have  gained  a  very  important  advantage  over  those  who 
had  no  such  practical  experiences. 

No  high  school  paper,  regardless  of  size  or  number  of 
issues,  should  be  offered  to  subscribers  for  less  than  fifty 
cents  a  year,  and  no  advertising  should  be  printed  for  less 
than  ten  cents  a  line.  In  this  connection  it  should  be  said 
that  while  no  school  paper  is  at  all  likely  to  accept  ob- 
jectionable advertising,  a  violation  of  this  rule  is  certain 
to  embarrass  its  publishers  with  the  Federal  postoffice 
authorities.  These  officials  maintain  very  rigid  super- 
vision not  only  over  the  quality  of  the  advertising,  but 
over  the  subscription  books  also.  They  may,  without 
previous  notice,  examine  these  books,  and  deny  the  paper's 
right  to  mail  facilities  as  second-class  matter  if  too  high  a 
percentage  of  the  subscriptions  are  found  to  be  in  arrears. 
Advertisements  describing  contests  or  lotteries  should  not 


MAKING  UP  THE   PAPER 


be  printed  until  the  opinion  of  the  postmaster  has  been 
obtained. 

Making  Up  the  Paper.  A  well-edited  paper  or  a 
class  annual  carefully  and  intelligently  prepared  is  an 
excellent  advertisement  for  a  high  school,  just  as  a  slov- 
enly product  is  a  detriment.  Thoughtful  students  and 
instructors  have  realized  the  truth  of  this,  as  many  very 
excellent  examples  prove.  Printed  pages,  like  bread  cast 
upon  the  water,  frequently  come  back  in  after  years  when 
life  has  taken  on  a  different  aspect.  Not  alone  the  con- 
tents of  a  paper  are  important,  but  its  make-up  also  has 
an  effect  at  once  pleasing  or  disappointing.  The  paper's 
name  should  mean  something  for  the  school,  and  its  whole 
appearance  should  be  as  inviting  as  an  artistic  menu. 

If  the  stam  decides  to  issue  a  book  or  magazine  instead 
of  a  newspapeivl  it  should  prove  its  loyalty  to  the  school 
and  the  town  by  putting  the  names  of  both  on  the  cover. 
Many  high  school  magazines  fail  to  give  this  information 
except  on  the  editorial  page,  where  it  is  required  by  law 
in  the  notice  of  postoffice  entry.  An  agreeable  effect 
may  be  produced  by  using  some  such  plan  as  this : 


THE  EAST  END  HERALD 

A  Monthly  Magazine 
Published  by  Students 

of  the  East  End  High  School 
January,  1918 


Pittsburg 


Penna 


Vol.  II,  No.  i 


i8         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


OTorlb 


Published  by  the  Students  of  T.  H.  S. 

Eighth  and  Harrison  Streets. 

Member  of  Kansas  State  High  School 

Editorial  Association. 


Entered  as  Second-class  Matter  in  the 
Postoffice  at  Topeka,  Kansas 


STAFF 

Editor-in-Chief Ewing  Fergus 

Associate  Editor Maym  Parsons 

Business  Manager Orrin  Berridge 

Assistant  Manager Harry  Bennett 

Faculty  Manager Mr.  Brawford 

Literary  Editor Charles  Hoyt 

Pills "Pill"     Bowman 

Locals. .  . .  Lillian  Gleissner,  John  Troxell, 
Dorothy  Wahle,  Claire  Menninger 

Assemblies Natalie  Romans,  Mary 

Christman 

Athletics Paul    Young 

Freshman John  Ferris 

Exchanges Lawrence  Myers 

Komics .-Harry  Davis 

In  the  Meantime Homer  Davis 

Staff  Artists 

Maym  Parsons  Ralph  Oman 

Esther  Lindell 


LAWRENCE  ? 

For  the  last  five  or  six  years  the  game 
with  Lawrence  high  school  has  been  the 
big  event  of  the  football  season.  For  that 
game  we  always  saved  all  our  surplus 
energy,  all  our  best  plays,  and  all  our 
loudest  cheers;  for  no  other  game  could 
attract  so  large  a  crowd,-  bring  forth  such 
splendid  rooting,  or  exhibit  such  brilliant 


The  first  page  of  a  school  magazine,  or  what  printers 
usually  refer  to  as  Page  3,  should  bear  the  name  of  the 


MAKING  UP  THE   PAPER  19 

paper,  the  name  of  the  school,  the  date,  and  the  volume 
and  number.     Here  is  a  very  sensible  example : 

The  Hyde  Park  Weekly 

THE  GREATEST  HIGH  SCHOOL  JOURNAL 

SIXTY -SECOND  STREET  AND  STONY  ISLAND  AVENUE 

Volume  VII  Thursday,  November  9,  1916  No.  9 


A  Marine  Mistake 

Jean  Bruce. 

The  door  from  the  smok-  The      first      twenty-four 

ing  room  of  the  steamship  hours  of  the  trip  were  so 

"Madrid"    opened    and    a  rough  that  but  few  of  the 

young  man  of  fashionable  passengers      appeared      on 

appearance    stood    in    the  deck.     In  the  evening  the 

flood  of  light.       He  closed  storm  waves  were  left  be- 

The  editorial  page  may  be  arranged  to  suit  the  fancy 
of  the  staff.  The  necessary  details  may  be  confined  to 
one  column  or  the  entire  width  of  the  page  may  be  used. 
Both  styles  are  shown  in  this  chapter.  If  the  business 
office  can  provide  the  money  to  pay  the  bills  the  paper 
can  be  improved  in  appearance  by  having  cut  heads  for 
all  departments,  and  by  using  as  many  engravings  as 
possible.  The  drawings  for  these  usually  can  be  made 
in  the  art  department  of  the  school.  Only  black  ink 


20         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

can  be  used  for  this  purpose,  and  it  should  be  of  the  same 
quality  used  in  all  drawings  for  reproduction.  Depart- 
ment headings,  of  course,  may  be  kept  standing  for  fre- 
quent use.  Zinc  etchings  are  to  be  preferred  to  half- 
tones because  they  are  very  much  cheaper,  and  in  most 
.cases  give  better  results  unless  the  best  of  book  paper 
and  high-grade  inks  are  used  ifi  printing.  Cartoons  by 
clever  students  always  are  welcome,  and  do  much  to 
brighten  the  pages.  Illustrations  receive  attention  where 
solid  printed  matter  is  neglected  by  readers.  No  issue 
should  go  to  press  without  one  or  two  good  engravings  on 
the  front  page,  if  in  newspaper  form.  It  may  be  neces- 
sary occasionally  to  write  a  story  around  some  available 
picture,  and  this  is  not  difficult  to  do.  News  value  is  to  be 
considered,  of  course,  but  any  clear,  sharp  engraving 
suited  to  the  season  would  be  acceptable  to  enliven  the 
page. 

Printers  are,  as  a  rule,  more  cordial  to  writers,  editors 
or  copy  readers  who  understand  the  limitations  of  type, 
and  who  have,  in  addition  to  their  knowledge  of  routine 
desk  work,  an  intelligent  idea  of  make-up.  This  knowl- 
edge can  be  acquired  only  after  long  experience,  but 
enough  for  the  purposes  of  a  high  school  paper  will  be 
gathered  in  a  few  months,  depending  of  course,  on  the 
keenness  of  perception  and  artistic  ideals  of  the  student. 
Some  persons  will  see  nothing  wrong  in  a  poorly  balanced 
page  while  others,  with  eyes  for  proportion,  will  know 
immediately  that  a  five-column  paper  should  carry  only 
three  three-deck  headings  on  a  page,  the  alternating  col- 
umns being  filled  in  with  two-line  headings.  Too  much 
balance,  the  placing  of  items  according  to  size,  rather 


MAKING  UP  THE   PAPER 


21 


Colorado  Slate  Normal  School  News  Letter 


EDITORIAL  STAFF 

Junior  A  Composition  Class  with  Miss 
Helen  Blackstock,  Editor-in-Chief 

ENROLLMENT  AT  GRAND  JUNC- 

TION  PASSED   FIVE  HUN- 

DRED  MARK 

It  was  a  lively  and  enthusiastic 
bunch  of  pedagogues  that  filled  the 
streets  of  Grand  Junction  during  the 
three  days  of  the  Western  Slope  meet- 
ing. Their  eagerness  for  inspiration 
was  pretty  -well  met  by  the  speakers 
selected.  Dr.  Bryan  seemed  to  be  a 
general  favorite:  his  addresses  d^alt 
•with  things  vital  to  character  rather 
than  with  specific  theories  of  teaching. 

The  C.  S.  N.  S.  luncheon  was  ex- 
cellently planned.  One  hundred  twen- 
ty-five loyal  Normal  School'  Alumni 
did  ample  justice  to  the  well  served 
meal.  Mr.  Quigley  presided  with 
.grace,  and  the  after-dinner  speeches 
and  music  were  unusually  apt  and 
entertaining. 

President  Kelley,  who  is  president 
of  the  State  Teachers'  Association, 
showed  his  executive  ability  in  the 
management  of  the  three  division 
meetings;  and  the  Normal  School  is 
proud  of  his  success. 

Miss  Neva  Newell,  '17,  writes  from 
Mancos,  Colorado,  that  she  is  teach- 
ing thirty-two  pupils  in  the  Wattles 
rchool  two  miles  from  Mancos.  Sh1! 
"has  a  splendid  building  of  cement  with 
a  large  assembly  hall,  a  lunch  room, 
a  pantry,  and  a  fine  entrance  hall. 
They  do  not  lack  for  music  or  good 
literature  either  as  th°v  have  an  Edi- 
son, an  organ,  and  a  library  contain- 
ing three  hundred  volumes.  Miss 
"Newell  planned  a  social  for  Hal- 
lowe'en, the  funds  to  go  to  the  Red 


Under-  the  direction  of  Hon.  J.  It. 
McBrien  of  the  National  Bureau  of 
Education,  a  conference  on  Rural  Edu- 
cation will  be  held  in  Denver,  Nov. 
22-24.  Miss  Mary  M.  Hughes,  Direc- 
tor of  the  Rural  department  of  the  C. 
S.  N.  S.  and  President  Kelley  expect 
to  attend.  Mr.  Kelley  has  been  invited 
to  preside  over  the  afternoon  session 
of  Nov.  22,  and  to  give  an  address  on 
the  24th  on  fh?.  subject:  The  Making 
of  the  Rural  Teacher—  in  State  Nor- 
mal Schools. 


President  Kelley  left  Friday  for  Sa- 
lida  to  attend  the  Chaffee  County 
Teachers'  Institute.  He  will  give  an 
address  on  the  subject  "Danger 
Points." 

The  Montrose  County  Teachers'  and 
Directors'  Association  will  be  held  at 
Nucla,  Nov.  16  and  17.  Miss  Emma 
Full,  the  County  Superintendent,  is 
doing  a  great  work  for  the  rural 
schools  under  her  supervision. 

Miss  Bonita  Heiner,  '14,  has  com- 
pleted a  four  months'  school  at  Gothic. 
She  has  been  elected  at  Maher,  Mont- 
Tose  County,  and  took  up  her  work 
there  about  the  middle  of  October. 
They  are  just  completing  a- new  school 
house  in  Maher  which  accounts  for  the 
late  beginning. 

Miss  Hulda  Johnson,  '17,  reports 
that  she  is  teaching  in  Orangevflle, 
Utah.  Although  O»-angevQle  is  forty 
miles  from  a  railroad,  it  is  a  delight- 
ful community.  They  have  a  six-teach- 
er school,  with  domestic  science  and 
art,  supervised  play,  and  other  up-to- 
date  features. 

Miss  Evelyn  Parr,  17,  Is  at  San 
Fernando,  about  twenty-one  miles 
from  Los  Angeles.  There  is  a  train- 
ing school,  in  connection  with  the  ac- 
ademy in.  which  she  teaches,  and  rh* 
is  critic  teacher- of  sixth,  seventh,  and 
eighth  grades.  She  also  has  a  class  in 
music  methods.  She  says,  "I  received 
the  News  Letter  the  other  day,  and 
how  I  did  appreciate  it!  It  seemed 
just  like  a  friend  from  home;  it  will 
always  be  welcome." 

'*•  A  letter  has  been  received  from  Miss 
Laura  Taylor,  '15,  at  Pueblo.  The 
following  is  an  extract:  "All  last 
year  "The  Pueblo  .  Alumni"  thought 
they  would  organize  and  at  least  plan 
a  luncheon,  but  you  know  we  are  so 
busy  and  time  flies  so  quickly  that  we 
never  accomplished  that  purpose.  This 
year  some  are  here  and  some  are 
there.  Lila  Haines,  16,  has  a  leave 
of  absence  and  is  in  Canada.  She  re- 
ports many  interesting  features  con- 
cerning the  war  and-  is  taking  an  ac- 
tive part  in  Red  Cross  work  among  the 
convalescents  in  the  hospital.  Clara 
Wilson,  16,  is  doing  special  work  in 
seventh  and  eighth  grades  at  Hinsdale. 
Eva  Parker,  16,  is  back  at  Riverside; 
she  is  much  interested  in  her  dry  farm 
near  Rye.  As  usual  I  am  back  and 
have  a  few  new  ideas  for  Riverside. 
We  have  a  class  in  knitting  and  one 
class  in  First  Aid." 


22         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


The  INDIAN  LEADER 


A  SYSTEM  OF  SCHOOL  ENROLLMENT 
RECORDS. 


By  C.  E.  BIRCH. 


SYSTEM  of  school  enrollment 
records  to  fulfill  its  purpose  sat- 
isfactorily should  be  planned  with 
reference  to  the  following  essen- 
tials: 

1.  Accuracy. 

2.  Permanence. 

3.  Convenience. 

The  first  can  only  be  obtained  by  regularity, 
daily  checks  which  are  religiously  observed. 
To  obtain  the  second  is  comparatively  easy, 
as  it  is  necessary  only  to  use  good  ink  and 
paper  and  to  provide  a  place  for  safe-keeping. 
The  most  convenient  form  of  record  is  un- 
doubtedly the  loose  leaf  and  binder,  which 
makes  it  possible  to  transfer  all  obsolete  or 
inactive  material  without  interference  with 
that  which  is  active. 

The  five  forms  shown  herewith  have  been 
found  very  convenient  and  satisfactory  at 
Haskell.  Forms  1  and  4  are  kept  in  loose-leaf 
binders.  Form  "2  is  a  temporary  record,  sub- 
ject to  change  and  verification,  and  is  placed 
in  the  pupil's  folder  after  it  has  served  its 
purpose.  Form  3  is  also  merely  a  temporary 
.record  and  is  not  preserved  after  the  detail  list 
is  completed.  Form  5  fe  but  partially  shown. 
•  It  is  a  heavy  manila  card,  not  kept  in  a  binder 
but  in  a  folder  when  not  in  use.  A  more  de- 
tailed explanation  of  each  form  follows: 

Forml. — This  is  the  first  record  of  the  pu- 
pil's attendance.  Two  reports  are  made  daily, 
one  for  boys  and  one  for  girls.  These  reports 
include  all  changes  in  enrollment  up  to  mid- 
night of  the  day  preceding  the  date  given. 


In  the  column  for  names  should  be  given  those 
of  all  pupils  who  have  been  enrolled,  returned 
from  leave,  sent  outing,  deserted,  etc.,  with 
proper  explanations  under  the"  "Remarks" 
column.  From  this  record  it  will  be  easy»to 
fCompile  the  data  required  in  the  monthly  re- 
port of  attendance  to  the  office  (5-249).  Post- 
ings are  also  made  to  Form  4,  "Attendance" 
column. 

Form  2.—  When  the  pnpil  is  sent  to  the 
principal  for  classification,  this  form  is  made 
in  triplicate,  by  the  use  of  carbou  sheets.  A 
copy  is  retained  by  the  principal  and  a  copy 
sent  to  the  person  in  charge  of  detailing;  the 
remaining  copy  to  the  classroom  teacher. 
When  grade  and  detail  have  been  definitely 
determined,  the  copies  are  turned  over  to  the 
principal,  who  makes  the  proper  entries  on 
Form  4,  showing  the  grade  entered  and  the 
industrial  department  to  which  assigned,  and 
any  other  information  not  available  from  the 
pupil's  application  blank. 

Form  8.—  This  temporary  blank  is  given 
the  pupil  to  carry  to  the  industrial  instructor 
to  whom  he  is  assigned.  A  carbon  copy 
should  be  retained  by  the  person  making  the 
assignment.  From  these  tickets  a  complete 
detail  list  can  be  complied.  In  .case  of 
changes  or  transfers,  the  same  form  may  be 
used. 

Form  4.—  As  indicated,  this  "Enrollment.  Re- 
cord" is  compiled  from  the  pupil's  application, 
from  the  temporaryenrollmentrecordslip,  the 
daily  attendance  report,  etc.  These  records. 
should  be  arranged  alphabetically,  with  boys' 


MAKING  UP  THE   PAPER 


than  because  of  their  relative  importance,  becomes  inar- 
tistic, and  tires  the  critical  eye.  Some  make-up  men 
carry  balance  to  excess,  and  thereby  create  the  impression 
of  machine-made,  rule-of -thumb  make-up. 

SiSHAMOKIN  DAILY  NEWSZH; 


tun  ~M.IHC.KI 


HAIL  STORM  CAUSED  DAMAGE      ,SON  ARE 
AT  MT  CARMEL  AND  KULPMONT    HQSP.TALS! 


FOR  HEAD  OF  NEW  HOSPITAL 


•or,  Tkan  i  Ftol  •<  Hail  Fell  last  Evening 

Htijhboring  Toot-Bird*  Killed  as  They  Sil  on 

fr.e»    Foliage  ol  Treel  and  Trucl  Palcket 

W.r.R.in«d-.T,mp,rat.r.  Dropped  I.  40 

C«,r,«    and   Children    Made   Merr, 


factt  Uad  Ui  to  B«litf  That  Rinf  |i  W.ll 


is^M^fsa^lsSSg 


TRIED  SUICIDE    IMPORTANT  DECISION 


LIGHTHING  STRUCK  A  HOME; 
HAD  A  CLOSE  CALL 


.    -     .-      -.  - 

ffi«S5S«-..r--.  .  sSw^^ifiSSt 


SHUMOKIN'  IUHBER  COMPANY 


SUSPECTED  WRECKER  IS  WEAK 


MINDED;  MAY  BE  GUILTY  m 


=r r  '^^^^^s^i^^r^^^r:--:^'^  .-=.--"  s-srwrs 
&:&-&-.» 


^€Sfl^^^ 


--'^HoVJT 


..eSSLferSafe1- 

-^srvs^a-  aia  alSHs^^^'^iSl^^-  ~ 
tMsy.rja.'^  ayfjyr,is.^;  jaa^s  .;v;^.g^."'  .i.-.^.  :•; 


24         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


BEAT  INDEPENDENCE   TURKEY    DAY 

N.  H.  S.  BOOSTER 


NEODESHA,  KANSAS.  MONDAY.  NOVEMBER.  20.  191 


LOST  TO  ALTOONA         DOUBLE  HEADER 
*.»~ZrZ~*-—  THANKSOmNG 


be  big  doings  en  the 
gridiron  turkey  day.  If  plans  that 
ire  now  being  made  prove  sat 
'ul.  It  Is  planned  to  have  Neode- 
ika's  crack  city  team  walk  ea  a  like 
:eam  from  Independence  as  a  pre- 
Imlnary  to  the  high  school'  tame. 


In  a  on*  sided  tattle  with  Need 
playing  *  shattered  turn.  Altoona 
defeated  Neodesha  Friday,  by  a  .cor 


from  th«  first  and  wen  oaly  abl 
lo  play  a  defensive  game  through 
out  all  four  quartern.  The  Ion  o 
ft»e  of  Neodesha's  players  who  wer 


made  the  victory  easier  for  A] 
than  It  would  have  been  had  these 
men  been  In  thlr  places.  The  A) 
toons  team  played  a  good  conslsten 
game  only  falling  ;o  make  down 
three  or  four  times.  Their  back 
bt-iii  was  the  best  thai  has  pi 
on  the  total  field.  Altoona  support 
ed  ttelr  team- loyally,  although  no 
lAlthough 


have  had  better  .support  and  If  they 
do  not  hare  better  support  Thanks 

giving,    we   ca-npot   hare    hop^s   o 


LECTURE  NUMBER 
TONIGHT 


the      High 


chestra,   will    appea 
School  Auditorium  tonlgh 

Schlldkrets  Hungarian  Orchestra 
Is  probably  more  widely  kl 
than  any  other  Hungarian  orch 
Ja  the  country  and  has  appeared  for 
more  than  nine  years 
tauqua  platform.  Everywhere  It  has 
been  greeted  with  a  degree  of  en 
tilnalavm  seldom  tendered  such  an 
ereanltatlon.  Mr.  Schlldkret  can 
get  as  much  music  out  of  all  men 
as  -lost  directors  can  get  out  of  ten. 


The  Rooster  received  a  check  from 
Susie  Harris,  ex.  'IT.  tte  other  day 
for  her  subscription.  Susie  was  the 
Booster's  star  reporter"  last  year  and 
the  check  shows  that  she  Is  still  In- 


scbooj  at  Springfield.  Mo.,  this  : 


Friday   was  onr   unusual     Son- 
day  and  altho-  we  didn't  start  our 


we  got  together  at  the  lag  In  some 
real   y.lla.     We  started  onr  singing 
with  Miss  Utterbaik  leading  onr  new 
root  ball  song     Then  -«  loine. 
that  familial   song,  dear  to  us 
"Out  Old  HIA." 


BOUGHT  AND  PAID  FOR    BASKET  BALL 

FOR    N.    H.    S. 


i  u 


f  one  turkey  day. 


for 


SEARCY   IS   RECOVERING 

SUIT  Full-Back    Will   Be      Back 


Gay  Zeoola  McClarrn  Pleased  Large 


lint    and 
which    « 


have 


May  Rent  Building  C|.  Tow.  or  Gym. 
If  plans  that  are  now  under  way 


develop.  N.  H 


may  have  a-.fool 


ecently  concerning  Miss  Gay  hall  team  for  the  coming  season 
Zanola  HacLarea's  ability  a*  spread-  '  and  a,  gyjnnaslum  for  other  athletic 
er  were  certainly  reriri 

For  several  years  N.   H.   S. 


Miss 


lack-  of  the  win 


onjtliun.     Dr.  MeOuire?4tho  attend 
ng  physician. 

for  recovery  1»  rest'  and  quiet 
whole  school 
welfare  and   • 
ball  star  .back 


GIRL'S  GLEE  CLUB 

MAKES  DEBUT 

Sang  TV..  Selections  In  Chapel. 


first  number  was  "The  Gypsy 
Daisy."   the  second   "Dawn,"     both 
eing    well   rendered   and     showing 
their  hearts  were  In  the  i 
•al  visitors  wer.  present. 


Charles   Ayera.   '18.      waa 


On  coming  to  school  one 

young  school  lad  of  about  8  years, 
Oraynm  oomlng  up  the 
th  about  a  weeks  growth  of 
his  face.  said. 


Patfl  Cooley.  -II.  has  returned  to  know   who  yon  are.     Don't  07  to 


en  selected  the  popular  temp- Jon  the  life  of  the  school  very  much., 
play  'Bought  and  Paid  For,'  But  since  the  GoMson  Bros.  Furnl. 
r  running  .In  New  York.  Her  lure  company  has  varied  the  ftfc 
it  ability,  together  with  pers-  building  on  Fourth  street,  which  be- 
ooal  beauty.  Impressed  her  large  longs  to  Louis  Arthur,  the  'potisjbll- 
:e  very  much,  especially  as  Hies'  of  getting  a  gymnasium  '-are 
personated  .the  characters  of  .good.  Prdf.  Griffin,  our  former 
Gllley  and  his  flnancee.  and^p  ssikot  ball  coach  stated  that  Xt 
rife.  Fanny.  She  put  enougn  -would  make  an  effort  lo  secure  Ike 
pathos  In  the  characters  of  Mr.  Star-  building  if  the  student  body  aa.f- 
ord  and  Virginia,  but  'not  enough  the  town  basket  ball  fans  would  con- 
o  make  It  seem  sentimental:  and  tribute  enough  to  pay  the  reni'prof. 
here  was  enough  wit  and  humorto  Griffin's  plan  Is  to  have  a  town  tearc 
make  It  funny,  but  not  to  lower  It.  as  well  as  a  high  school  team  a!$ 
fee.  I  to  Include  other  gyn-na<,tic  spots 

large  audience  certainly  ap-' besides  basket  ball,  so  th«  a  Urge 
nay  If-  nbtttneil.     We 
fine     pian'  and     will 
»jos:.7<U.  rnu    be 
among'     the 
-    soo1*1  chance 


showed    their  .appreciation    by  thing  this  I 


a  stlc 


EXPLOSION  IN 

LABORATORY  ' 

No  One  Injured. 

An  explosion  occurred  Wednesday  I 
morning  in  chemistry  which  caused 
quite  a  little  excitement  but  fortun-    ' 
ately  no  great  damage.     The  pupils    r 
were  generating  gas  by  means  of  a 
flask,  heat  and  sulphuric  acid.  Too 

condensed  causing  the  explotion.  H 
CalliL  was  in  front  of  the  eiplosi 

•ecaived  no  injuries  other  than 

ge  to  his  doth.  •>., 


i  va-ah   thst  tbo   !«s>jos: 
rapproved    uu.anlmou;.y 


MANUAL  TRAINING 


ilph.  how  would 


Miss  Haynes  In  book-keeping 
M  "Clarence,  please  don't  look- 
Wilbur:  I'd  rather  you  wonli 


Let's  Have  a 

Come-Back 
Turkey  Day 


H,.ri.    probftblv    has      n^^ 
kecpi&c  ib»j-oom  warm  Lh»p' 
aov  other  teacher.     Since  'be«o  cpM 
hat  been  'neccs&ry  for  hK 


"JSi 


lA.  not  becanaa  it  keeps  fcef 

arm  SloneStnrk  for-«he  *<& 


ho««,h,.obt»Ig»d  It. 


MAKING  UP  THE   PAPER 


THE  KANSAS  INDUSTRIALIST 


KansM  State  AericullMTil  CoUrr*.  Manhattan.  S»lur<l»j,  April  27,  I'll* 


TURN  ON  THE  BORDEAUX 


"'•          CU)D-  NOT   NUST  MULCH. 


WHEAT-BO  MII,L:ON» 


"'•::'•.<"'  WOHK  IN  THE  GAKUBN. 


Of  course  no  paper,  ifi  school  or  in  the  business  world, 
would  be  properly  prepared  if  it  had  no  accepted  style 
for  doing  things,  for  presenting  its  contents.  There  must 
be  a  standard  for  every  act.  Rules  of  capitalization 
must  be  adopted  and  enforced.  Nearly  every  newspaper 
has  a  formal  set  of  such  rules,  and  so  have  all  well- 
managed  schools.  Students  conducting  a  high  school 
paper  may  obtain  such  guidance  from  the  department  of 
journalism  in  the  state  university  or  they  may  adopt  the 
standards  offered  here  as  representative  of  many  of  the 
largest  publishing  houses. 

For  example:  Capitalize  all  departments  of  the  Fed- 
eral government,  and  all  bureaus  of  those  departments. 
This  includes  the  President,  the  Chief  Justice,  the  Secre- 
taries of  the  several  departments.  Do  not  capitalize 
state  boards.  Use  capitals  for  state  institutions. 

Capitalize:  Bill  Brook  Farm;  Connecticut  Valley; 
the  Potomac  River;  Civil  War;  Fourth  of  July;  Twen- 
tieth Century;  Declaration  of  Independence;  Golden 
Rule;  Ten  Commandments.  Capitalize  large  geograph- 


26         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

ical  divisions  such  as  Southwest,  Middle  West,  North, 
South,  East  and  West,  when  those  parts  of  the  country 
are  referred  to,  and  not  points  of  the  compass.  The 
wind  was  blowing  from  the  east.  The  man  made  his 
fortune  in  the  South.  He  was  going  north.  He  had 
lived  in  the  North. 

Ordinarily  all  figures  below  10  should  be  spelled.  Use 
figures  for  age,  inches,  feet,  yards,  rods,  acres,  and  miles, 
and  for  minutes  and  hours  and  time;  also  for  quantities, 
as  in  recipes.  The  rule  for  figures  should  vary  when 
necessary  to  avoid  awkwardness.  Examples  accepted: 
Not  two  in  fifty  would  sign  it.  One  by  one  the  men 
left  camp.  Nine  times  in  ten. 

Write  it  10  million  dollars,  i|  million  bushels.  Other 
numbers  require  ciphers:  He  owned  2,600,000  acres. 
It  amounted  to  $2,300,000. 

• 
Fig.  i  for  Figure  i. 

No.  i  for  Number  i. 

In  pedigrees,  Crimson  Wonder  2d,  instead  of  Crimson 
Wonder  2.  But  write  it  Eighth  Duke  of  Waterbury 
when  number  precedes  name. 

The  character  "&"  is  used  in  all  firm  names  or  titles 
of  railroads. 

Use  judgment  concerning  use  of  hyphen,  but  avoid 
making  fussy  distinctions  about  it  when  correcting  proof. 
Common  words  of  one  syllable  may  be  combined  without 
hyphen,  but  where  one  of  the  words  is  of  two  or  more 
syllables  the  hyphen  may  be  used  to  make  the  sentence 
clearer.  Such  expressions  as  one-horse  cart  and  two-row 
cultivator  require  it.  Use  hyphen  and  word  combina- 


SETTING  TYPE  FOR  ADVERTISEMENTS     27 

tions  as  sparingly  as  possible  to  facilitate  linotype  com- 
position. 

Such  combinations  as  today,  yesterday,  nowadays, 
withhold,  notwithstanding,  are  to  be  used  according  to 
custom — without  the  hyphen. 

Ordinary  rules  of  punctuation  should  be  followed, 
but  introduce  a  quotation  a  single  sentence  in  length  with 
a  comma ;  two  or  more  sentences  with  a  colon. 

Avoid  use  of  parenthesis  when  a  comma  will  do  as 
well. 

Don't  use  dashes  too  frequently  in  sentences. 

Possessive  Case — Jones's  dog  (applies  to  names  of 
persons  only). 

Brackets  are  used  for  all  interpolations. 

Spell  out  name  of  state  where  it  follows  name  of 
county,  but  abbreviate  it  after  name  of  town  or  place. 
Example :  Topeka,  Shawnee  county,  Kansas ;  Topeka,  Kan. 

Spell  out  names  of  all  railroads. 

Spell  out  Professor  unless  initials  are  used. 

Christian  names,  except  where  purposely  used  as 
nicknames  with  quotation  marks. 

Titles,  such  as  Governor,  Colonel  when  followed  by 
the  name. 

Write  it  "The  Rev.  J.  W.  Brown,"  not  "Rev.  Brown." 
Nearly  all  ministers  prefer  to  be  called  "Mr."  unless  they 
have  a  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

Setting  Type  for  Advertisements.  Very  little  free- 
dom of  choice  should  be  permitted  the  printers  in  setting 
advertisements,  especially  in  small  towns  where  the  best 
talent  is  not  always  employed.  Some  compositors 
are  disposed  to  use  all  the  type  faces  in  the  shop  in 


28         JOURNALISM  FOR   HIGH   SCHOOLS 


setting  a  page  of  cards,  with  the  unpleasant  effect  shown 
here: 


Oft,.  0.  ft.  HENNERiCH 

~~*    Physician  &  Surgeon 

OCULIST 

Office  over  The  Hays  City  Drug  Store 
Phone  No.  356 


Dr.  W.  H.  JORDAN 

Office  over   Citfzens    Bank    Building, 
entrance 


Ptiones;.t)ffice  84    -    Residence  591 


Geo.  S.  Grass 

FOR  ALL  KINDS  OF 

GROCERIES 

HAYS.       -       -       .«      KANSAS 


Dr.  H.  B.  Neiswanger 

DENTIST 
Guaranteed    Dentistry;     Painless   Ex- 


traction  of  Teeth. 


STAINER  BLOCK, 


Phone  294. 


K.  C.  HAAS,  M.D. 

Physician  and  Surgeon 

Office  in  First  National  Bank  Building 

Phones:  Residence,  333;  Office,  273 


PR.  GEORGE  P.  HEMM 

Physician  &  Surgeon 

Phone  90.  Weisner  Block 

HAYS,  -  -  KANSAS 


THE  MISSES  VIRMOND 

Millinery 


DR.  A,  A.  HERMAN 

Dentist 

Office:    Hays  City  Drug  Store 
Phone  341. 


Kansas'       £>R.  E:  j.  CARLSON 

Physician  &  Surgeon 
ElllS   County  NeWS  Phone485.  Weisner  Block 


The  best  Advertising   medium 
TirWtetsrnr  Kansas    i    .      *     v 

First-Class  Job  Work  a  Specialty. 


E.  A.  RE  A 

LAWYER 

HAYS,  -  KANSAS 


CALL   AT 


King's  Barber  Shop 


HAYS,  KANSAS 


J.  S.  Vermillion  M.  D. 

Practice  Limited  to 

Eye,  Ear,  Nose  and  Throat 

Including  Fitting  of  Glasses 

Office  in  Ryan  Block        Hays,  Kas 


Geo.  B.  Snyder,  M.  D. 


Office  Phone,      -      -      148 
Residence  Phone,       •     €9 


HAYS, 


KANSAS 


SETTING  TYPE   FOR  ADVERTISEMENTS     29 


How  much  better  is  this  page  in  which  the  compositor 
has  been  restricted  to  one  style: 


PROFESSIONAL  CARDS 


DE.  W.  N.  WEST 

DENTIST 
Phone  1155  W  707  Mills  Bldg. 


DR.  L.  V.  SAMS 

PHYSICIAN  AND  SURQEON 
Phone  1660-W  726  Kansas  Ave. 


DR.  .S.  A.  BOAM 

PHYSICIAN 
Fhone  261-W  Orpheum  Bldg, 


DR.  A.  B.  JEFFREY 

PHYSICIAN 
Phone  1604-W  706  Kansas  Ave. 


FOY  &  FOY 

CHIROPRACTORS 
Phone  3078  716  Kansas  Ave. 


DR.  A.  F.  HARRISON 

Phone  1086  R  718  Kansas  Ave. 


DR.  S.  G.  STEWART 

DR.  JAMES  STEWART 

DR.  R.  B.  STEWART 

New  England  Bldg. 


DRS.  BOYD  &  KUTZ 

DENTISTS 
Phone.  3458-W  Orpreum  Bldg 


SETH  A.  HAMMEL 

PHYSICIAN 
Phone  1428  «11  Kansas  Ave. 


DR.  W.  E.  JEFFREY 

DENTIST 
Phone  1604  W  706  Kansas  Ave. 


DR.  C.  B.  VAN  HORN 

PHYSICIAN  AND  SURGEON 
Phone  301  W  803  Kansas  Ave. 


DR.  F.  E.  ISERMAN 

DENTIST 
Phone  1003-W  716  Kansas  Ave 


DR.  K.  S.  McGREW 

DENTIST 
Phone  3103  729  Kansas  Ave. 


DR.  MENNINGER 
Phone  19-W  727  Kansas  Ave. 


30         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

Headlines  and  Copy  Reading.  Instruction  in  read- 
ing copy  and  in  writing  headlines  is  invaluable.  It 
teaches  students  to  detect  the  errors  in  their  own  writing 
while  correcting  the  copy  of  others.  It  sharpens  the  in- 
tellect and  adds  very  materially  to  the  vocabulary  in 

SCHOOL  SPIRIT  COMES 

WITH  NEW  PRINCIPAL 


STUDENTS  AT  CENTRAL  HIGH 

PUT    THE    SCHOOL    BACK 

ON  SCHOOL  SPIRIT 

MAP 


M.  C.  PRUNTY  IS  WELL  LIKED 


New  Principal  Starts  AH  Activities 
at  Full  Speed  and  Inaugurates 
New  Ones — Will  Add  Jour- 
nalism Next  Year. 


That  Central  High  School  is  back  on  the 
school  spirit  map,  is  an  established  fact. 
With  the  coming  of  Merle  C.  Prunty,  the 
new  principal  of  the  school,  all  the  latent 
and  undeveloped  spirit  of  Central  sprang 
into  vivacious  life.  At  Auditorium  meet- 
ings in  the  halls  and  on  the  athletic  field 
this 'new  spirit  is  manifest.  It  has  taken 
the  f6rm  of  renewed  activity  in  all  school 
endeavors:  orchestra,  literar<  societies, 
athletics  and  The  Forum.  It  has  given 


dents.  "I  believe  the  class  ought  to  have 
«ome  societies."  Mr.  Prunty  said  in  speak- 
ing of  the  junior  college,  "but  if  the 
students  aren't  interested,  I  am  not  going 
to  push  the  matter."  When  a  body  of 
college  students  asked  the  principal's  per- 
mission to  form  a  science  club,  he  readily 
acquiesced. 

More  Yet  to  Come 

Most  students  believe  that  Mr.  Prunty 
has  shown  but  his  hands,  and  do  not  try 
to  surmise  what  is  "up  his  sleeves,"  but 
they  feel  whatever.  It  is.  a,  pleasant  sur- 
prise awaits  them.  The  students  realize 
that  the  principal  is  for  real  action  and 
continued  work,  and  mo«l  of  th«_m  started 
at  the  shot  of  the  gun,  and  are  still  go- 
ing' at  a  winning  pace. 

Mr.  Prunty  is  anxious  to  gel  all  the 
classes  organized.  For  the  first  time  in 
several  years, .  the  '  principal  called  the 
meeting  of  the  senior  class.  While  noth- 
ing definite  is  worked  out  by  the  classes, 
they  are  all  optimistic  about  the  success 
that  they  plan  to  be  theirs. 

Mr.  Prunty  succeeded  Frank  C.  Teuton 
as  principal  of  Central  High  School  this 
September.  When  appointed  by  the  school 
board  in  June,  he  asked  to  be  permitted 
to  finish  his  studies  next  summer,  that  he 
was  prepared  to  do  this  summer,  and  was 
granted  his  request. 

He  assumed  his  duties  at  Central  July 
15,  after  moving  to  St.  Joseph  from  Win- 
field^  Kan.  whpre  hn  woo  T*rinr>irvil  nf_tho 


seeking  words  to  fit  the  requirements  of  type  for  head- 
lines. It  is  a  study  no  student  should  miss,  regardless  of 
whether  he  intends  to  become  a  professional  writer  or  to 
enter  some  other  business. 

A  copy  reader  is  the  safety-valve  to  regulate  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  reporters.  It  is  his  duty  to  correct 
their  errors,  supply  deficiencies,  re- write  parts,  and  some- 
times all,  of  their  stories,  and  finally,  to  put  over  every 


HEADLINES  AND   COPY  READING          31 

i 

story  a  headline  that  tells,  in  a  few  words,  what  the  re- 
porter could  not  describe  in  less  than  a  column.     By  con- 


Athletics 


LeGRAND  CANNON,  '17 
Editor 


EDITORIAL  STAFF 

William  Blvens   Edltor-in-Chlcf  Harold  Porterfleld.  .  .  Asst.  Easiness  Mgr. 

Sarah  Mclntosh Associate  Editor  Melville  Hunter Business  Manager 

Charles  Copp Circulation  Mgr. 

stant  reading  of  newspapers,  magazines  and  books  he  is 
expected  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times,  and  be  familiar 
especially  with  everything  in  current  topics  pertaining 


32         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 


to  the  affairs  of  his  town,  county  and  state,  and  to  the 
nation  in  a  general  way,  depending  upon  the  desk  he 


THE  GIRL/ 
DEPARTMENT 


Miss  JUUA  UNCOLN.  191? 
Miss  BEATRICE  LOMAS.  1917 


occupies.  He  must,  primarily,  know  the  style  of  his 
paper  so  well  that  he  can  eliminate  from  the  reporters' 
copy  all  the  words  and  phrases  not  permitted  in  its  col- 


HEADLINES  AND   COPY  READING 


33 


nmns.     He  should  have,  at  least  to  a  working  degree,  a 
knowledge  of  the  laws  of  libel.     In  short,  a  copy  reader  is 


10 


THE     HYDE    PARK    WEEKLY. 


DISCUSSION  CLUB.  Program  Commitee. 

Last  Wednesday  night,  the  Hyde         Charles  Smith,  Chairman 
Park  Discussion  Club  started  on  its         Jerome  Neff 

expected  to  know  everything  the  reporters  know,   and 
very  much  more. 


34         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 


A  study  of  newspapers  will  disclose  many  styles  of 
head  writing.  Some  country  papers  are  content  with  a 
"one-line"  head  while  another,  in  the  same  county, 
would  use  what  is  called  "three  decks7'  to  describe  the 
same  event.  Newspapers  are  judged  largely  by  their 
headlines.  Some,  in  the  sensational  class,  find  a  large, 


SCHOOL 
NOTES 


Raymond  Bush,  '17.  Editor 


black-face  scare-head  necessary  to  decorate  a  twenty-line 
story  that  received  a  mild,  two-line  head  in  a  more  sedate 
competitor.  Some  papers  use  the  past  and  others  the 
present  tense  in  heads;  many  omit  the  articles  from  the 
several  lines,  and  others  would  not  permit  an  issue  to 
appear  without  them. 

Words  or  figures  are  used  to  designate  the  several  kinds 
of  headlines.  This  designation  is  written,  usually,  at 
the  right-hand  side  of  the  page,  as  shown  in  the  examples 
on  page  41. 

Headlines  must,  of  course,  conform  to  type  require- 
ments. Thus,  the  top  line  of  a  three-deck  head  in 


HEADLINES  AND  COPY  READING         3$ 


The  Kansas  City  Star  will  hold  twenty  to  twenty-three 
letters,  depending  upon  the  letters  used.  If  M  or  W 
are  included  each  counts  two  units;  but  these  may  be 
used  if  there  are  several  thin  letters,  like  L,  I,  or  T. 

A  three-deck  head,  usually,  is  put  only  at  the  top  of 
the  column,  depending  upon  the  width  of  the  paper  and 


Editorial      Staff 


MILTON  HERDR1CK.  Editor 
WILBUR  WOLF.  A»«t.  Editor 
KITH  HOLMES.  A»t.  Editor 


SHERMAN    KELLEY 


EDITH   I.   IIAIGHT 

ELMER   Cl'SICK 
HAZEL  MACK 
LUCILLE   RIDGWAY 
MARION    BIALAC 


IRENE    TAtCHKN 
LEONARD   McGRATH.  Alumni 

—Faculty    Advltert— 

JEANNETTE    McDONALD 

CLASS    REPORTERS 

L.WKA    PETERS 
WALTER    JOHNSON 
ARVID    PEARSON     . 
GRATTON    W1LLOUGHBY 

Business    Staff 

•C«r  LAURA    PETERS.   Circulation    Munuc" 


NINA   LODGE,  Secretary 


the  style  of  make-up.  Stories  of  less  importance  carry 
two-line  heads,  and  others  only  a  single  line.  A  one-line 
head  should  not  be  used  on  an  item  containing  more  than 
one  paragraph,  but  a  two-line  head  may  be  put  on  one 
paragraph. 

In  some  newspaper  offices  a  knowledge  of  type  names 
is  not  necessary.  A  set  of  heads  has  been  agreed  upon; 
only  three  or  four  kinds  of  type  are  used.  The  copy 


3  6         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

reader  marks  the  story  "i  column  head"  or  "2  column 
scare"  and  the  foreman  of  the  composing  room  directs  the 
man  in  his  department  assigned  to  set  headlines.  But  in 
a  publishing  house  in  which  many  papers  are  printed  copy 
readers  and,  indeed,  every  writer  should  know  the  names 
of  the  type  used.  The  big  type  foundries  have  catalogs 
admirably  suited  to  this  study  in  college.  This  work 
teaches  condensation,  enriches  the  vocabulary,  and  in- 
creases the  earning  power  of  the  man  who  may  wish,  later, 
to  obtain  employment  in  a  printing  house.  Instructors 
in  schools  will  find  editors  of  all  publications  willing  to 
mark  on  their  pages  the  names  of  the  type  used.  These 
specimens,  with  one  or  two  catalogs,  will  form  material 
for  many  exceedingly  interesting  lectures,  and  for  much 
instructive  laboratory  work.  Printers  or  the  type  foun- 
dries will  provide  samples  of  type  faces  from  which  to 
choose  the  headings.  In  the  magazines  it  will  be  found 
easier,  and  just  as  satisfactory  to  use  short  headings, 
suggestions  for  which  are  easily  obtainable  in  any  of  the 
standard  publications.  In  preparing  a  weekly  in  news- 
paper form,  however,  students  will  find  it  to  their  ad- 
vantage to  choose  a  good,  clear  type  small  enough  to 
admit  at  least  three  words,  and  if  possible  four  words 
in  the  top  line.  This  line  should  contain  an  active  verb  if 
possible.  It  is  not  good  form  to  use  figures  in  the  top  line 
of  a  newspaper  heading,  and  particularly  not  to  begin  the 
line  with  a  figure.  A  noun  used  in  this  line  should  not 
be  repeated  in  the  second  line,  or  deck,  as  it  is  called  in 
the  composing  room,  and  each  line  should  be  complete 
in  itself ;  that  is  to  say  the  headings  should  not  be  merely 
a  sentence  divided  into  lines,  such  as  one  frequently  sees 


HEADLINES  AND  COPY  READING          37 
MARKS  USED  IN  PROOFREADING 


J*  Delete:  take  out. 

Cy  Letter  reversed;  turn  it  over. 

jtfc  Insert   space. 

S~^  Close  up;  no  space. 

./.  Bad    spacing;    make    spacing 

Transpose  words  or  letters. 
Cff      Make  paragraph. 

No   paragraph;    run   In. 


Move    to    the   left. 
""I       Move  to  the  right. 

Raise  to  Droper  position. 
Lower  to  proper  position. 
y        Imperfect  type;   change. 

r+ 

I       Space  shows;    push   down. 


Line    up;    make    the    margin 
straight. 


Straighten    lines    or    type   out 
of  line. 


- C<>ptJ 


Let  it  stand;    retain   crossed- 
out    word    or    letter. 


See  copy     for  omitted  words. 


Query  to  author:     Is    this   cor- 
rect? 


Put  in  capitals. 
<i  p  Put  in  small  ca 
9  *  Put  in  lower-case. 

Put  In  roman  type. 


Hr 


Put   in  bold-face  type. 


Wrong       font;       change       to 
proper  style  of  type. 


3,      Apostrophe. 


0 


Quotation  marks. 

Period. 
Comma. 

One-em  dash. 
Two-em  dash. 
Hyphen. 


38        JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

in  some  poorly  edited  papers  in  the  professional  field. 
Although  the  head-writer  who  prepared  the  example 
given  here — referring  to  a  band  concert — has  erred  in 
repeating  his  nouns,  the  type  employed  is  so  well-chosen 
that  it  is  reproduced : 


NEW  BAND  SCORES 


CENTRAL'S  BAND  SHOWS  UP  WELL 
IN  CONCERT 


Other  Lines  of  Music  Progressing — Boys' 

Glee  Club  Scores — Orchestra  Under 

Most  Favorable  Conditions 

in  Years. 


A  feature  at  Central  High  School  this 
year  is  the  band,  comprising  fifteen  pieces, 
which  was  organized  at  the  beginning  of 
the  school  term.  Mr.  C.  Prunty,  prin- 
cipal of  Central,  early  in  the  term,  asked 
the  pupils  if  they  desired  a  band.  The 
response  was  hearty  and  a  band  was  im- 
mediately organized  under  the  leadership 
of  W.  C.  Maupin. 

The  members  in  the  band  are 'working 
industriously.  Their  success  was  illus- 
trated by  the  extended  applause  by  the 
school  when  several  selections  were  played 
at  the  auditorium  meeting,  Oct.  27. 

Mr.  Maupin  said  concerning  the  band: 
"We  are  progressing  nicely,  but  want  30 
or  35  members.  We  need  players  for  the 
following  instruments:  Clarinets,  flute, 
piccolo,  saxophones,  altos,  trombones, 
baritone  and  basses,  oboe  and  bassoon. 

"There  are  many  good  times  in  store  for 
the  boys  who  go  into  the  band  and  learn 
to  play.  Not  only  in  high  school,  but  in 
the  university,  musicians  are  always  in 
demand  and  often  have  the  privilege  of 


HEADLINES  AND  COPY  READING        39 


taking  trips  with  the  band  and  seeing  the 
great  games." 

Orchestra  Starts  Favorably 

Asked  about  the  orchestra,  Mr.  Maupin 
said:  "The  orchestra  is  starting  out  this 
year  under  more  favorable  circumstances 
than  ever  before.  We  now  have  twenty- 

A  Three-deck  Head 

SCOTT  IS  PRESIDENT 


Seniors  Elect  Officers,  Using  Real  Poll 
System. 


Freeman  Scott,  nineteen  years  old,  a 
member  of  the  Ciceronian  Society,  was 
elected  president  of  the  Senior  class  Tues- 
day, Oct.  1 1 ,  by  a  large  majority. 

When  Mr.  Scott  was  interviewed  by  a 
reporter  for  The  News  he  said: 

"I  feel  that  the  honor  is  greatly  out  of 
proportion  to  my  capability.  But  the 
honor  of  any  position  is  just  what  you 
make  it.  My  policy  shall  be  the  policy  of 

A  Two-deck  Head 

Here,  as  specimens,  are  three  standard  newspaper 
headlines.  For  a  high  school  paper  they  should  prove 
acceptable  to  very  nearly  any  staff.  They  are  sedate,  if 
one  accepts  the  opinion  of  the  sensational  head  writers, 
but  they  will  serve  admirably  to  describe  the  news  of  a 
school.  The  scare-head  should  not  be  over- worked.  A 
football  victory  or  a  fire  or  other  happening  of  surpassing 
interest  may  appear  under  a  scare-head.  The  examples: 

FALL  ENDED  A  FISHING  TRIP. 


John   B.    Warner,    Federal    Court    Clerk, 
Back  From  Wyoming  on  Crutches. 

A  Two-deck  Head 


40         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 
SHE  MAY  WEAR  A  CROWN 


POLAND  MAY  HAVE  PONIATOWSKI'S 
AMERICAN  WIFE  AS  QUEEN. 


The    Possible    Future    King,    Now    Paris 

Banker    and    Head    of    Once    Royal 

House,   Married  Helen   Sperry, 

Rich  California  Girl. 


Three-deck  Head,  or  Triple 


MOB  AFTER  OFFICERS 


Death   Threatened    for   Captain 
Mate  of  the  Steamer 
Eastland. 


and 


PLACED  UNDER  ARREST 


On  the  Way  to  Police  Station  Crowd 
Attempted  to  Capture  the 
Two  Men. 


One   Man   Struck   the    Boat's    Com- 
mander in  the  Face  Despite 
the  Guard. 


GRAND  JURIES  TO  PROBE 


Federal   and   State  Officials   Ordered 

Deputies  to  Begin  Immediate 

Investigation. 


The  Short  Scare  Head 


HEADLINES  AND   COPY  READING         41 

In  an  office  issuing  several  publications  the  type  to  be 
used  in  a  headline  should  be  designated  in  this  way : 

What  is  an  American 

24  Pt.  Cheltenham  Bold  C.  &  L.  C. 

A  House  That  Made  History 

'  1 8  Pt.  Blanchard  C.  &  L.  C. 

How  to  Run  the  Home 

14  Pt.  Caslon  Bold  C.  &  L.  C. 

We'd  Hear  an  Interesting  Story  If  Walls  Could  Talk 

12  Pt.  Cheltenham  C.  &  L.  C. 

RAILROAD  CONTROL  BY  THE  UNITED  STATES  URGED 

8  Pt.  Gothic  No.  8  Caps 

BY  MABY  CATHERINE  WILLIAMS 

6  Pt.  Black  Machine  Caps 


Where  a  decorative  initial  is  desired,  customarily  it  is 
indicated  in  this  way: 

24  Pt.  Lowell       r-r-ifjE  fine,  modern  harvesting  machin- 
ery which  we  use   in  Kansas  today 
has   been   perfected   only  in    recent 
years,    but   the   idea   is   old.     Men   were 
working    on    harvesting   machinery   3000 
years  ago.     The  record  of  the  first  ma- 
chine, so  far  as  I  can  discover,  is  on  an 
engraving   on    stone   in    the   museum    of 

Stories  run  under  three-deck  heads  should  carry  sub- 
heads, set  in  small  capitals,  about  two  sticks  apart.     These 


42         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


Vol.  XXXI 


TAYLORVILLE,  ILLINOIS,  JANUARY.  1918. 


No.  5. . 


Table  of  Contents. 


•America  the  Hope  of  the  World— Hon.  V.  O. 
filbert,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  .-In- 
struction of  Kentucky 

A    Bit    of    Early    Illinois    School    History— 

/  H.Collins / .- 

Liking  the  Subject—//.  E.  Waits 

Assimilating  Opposition — W.  E.  Andrews . 

Purposeful  Citizenship  Training—//.  Ambrose 

War  Work  Behind  the  'Lines— E.  J.  Klemme. '. 

The  Mark  School— Thos.  M.  Kennedy 

The  Flag  Goes  By •.... 

Bringing  the  Winter  Birds  About  Our  Homes 

— Edward  Howe  Forbush  , 

The  "Uncle  Remus"  Mantelpiece  !...M 

Arithmetic— Eighth  ^ear— Ceo.  H.  Howf 

Window  Hdods  for  Chemical  Laboratories— E. 

V.  Lauohlin  

United  States  History— Eighth  Year-£«.  W. 

Smith  and  E.  G.  Lents 

Language — First  and  Second  Years — Annie  E. 

Harper    

Nature-Study   Agriculture — Eighth   Year— Carl 

Colvin    -. 

Geography— Fourth  Year— D.  C.  Ridgley..,,.. 


193 


Five  More  States  in  Kindergarten.  Advance 217 

The  Field  that  Sconty  Plowed 217 

Studies  of  Famous  Pictures  and  Statues  Per- 
taining   to    American     History — Lincoln — L. 

Eitline'Merritt r.  2l8 

Geography— Eighth    Year— Cora   M.    Hamilton  220 

Household  Arts— Eighth  Year— /nrs  M.  Boyce  224 

Forbearance    1 .225 

Construction  Work— Alberta  Strome 226 

American  Exports  Again  Soaring ..*  229 

Geography— Sixth  Year— F.  M.-'VancU 229 

Nature- Study-  Agriculture — First    and    Second  . 

Years— Annie  E.  Harper ..,'.:. 

Grammar — Eighth  Yea'r — Clara  M.  Penstone... 

To  School  News  Subscribers 230 

Editorial  Comment — H.  L.  powkes,  Co.  Supt. 

Calendar  of  Meetings  to  be  Held;,,  .•;.. 236 

Dr.  E.  Benjamin  Andrews • <.  236 

Department  of  Superintendence.-. .,.-..;•....,  236 

Religious  Education  Association 236 

U.  S.  Government  War  Savings '. 236 

Illinois  Centennial  Celebration 237 

An  Indian  .Hint 237 


231 


Reading— C.  M.  'Sanford ; ;.     237 

Americanism  in  the  School — Orley  E.  Gray....    239 
Magazines  Received   ' 240 


A  GREAT  COMBINATION  OFFER 


For  Educational  Matters 

THE  SCHOOL  NEWS 
$l-.25  per  year 

The  Leading  Educational  Monthly 


For  Current  Ereitts 

THE  PATHFINDER 

$1.00  per  year 

The  Leading  Current  Events  Weekly 


The  School  News  and  The  Pathfinder  Both  for  One  Year  $1.90 

C.  M.  PARKER  PUBLISHING  CO..  Taylorville,  Illinois. 


PREPARATION  OF  COPY  43 

UNIVEBSITY  DAILY  KANSAN 


Authorities  Set  Tune 
Limit  For  Vaccination 
A*  Monday,  Janwry  21 


sub-heads  should  describe  the  matter  immediately  fol- 
lowing. They  should  have  not  more  than  two  or  three 
words  in  them.  A  half -column  story,  for  instance,  should 
carry  at  least  two  sub-heads.  Never  run  a  story  with 
only  one  sub-head. 

Preparation  of  Copy.  Few  persons  realize  how 
important  it  is  to  have  their  manuscript,  or  copy,  as  it  is 
commonly  called,  prepared  properly.  Compositors  very 
often  are  paid  by  the  day  or  hour;  sometimes  they  are 
paid  for  what  they  do,  the  type  they  set.  Therefore 
every  minute  used  by  them  in  trying  to  decipher  illegible 
copy,  or  in  folding  sheets  that  are  too  large,  is  money  lost. 
Even  before  the  day  of  linotype  machines  it  was  econom- 
ical to  use  paper  of  uniform  size  in  writing  for  the  press; 
it  is  more  urgent  now,  in  the  face  of  competition,  and  the 


44         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


general  rush  to  be  first  on  the  streets  with  the  afternoon 
edition. 

But  there  are  other  considerations.  Editors  and 
copy  readers  on  all  kinds  of  periodicals  work,  usually,  at 
high  speed.  Typewritten  copy,  then,  is  especially  de- 
sirable, and  in  many  offices  no  other  kind  will  be  con- 
sidered. Every  writer  should  accustom  himself  to  setting 
down  his  thoughts  with  the  machine,  that  is  without  first 
writing  the  story  with  a  pencil  or  pen. 

Use  unglazed  paper,  eight  by  five  inches,  and  write  the 
long  way  of  the  page.  Colored  papers,  in  light  shades,  are 
always  welcome.  They  rest  the  eyes. 

Never  use  red  ink  with  pen  or  typewriter. 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  MERIDEN 

2,000  words. 
By  John  W.  Walker, 
1234  Fifth  Street, 
Bucksport,  Maine. 

THE   MYSTERY   OF   MERIDEN 
By  John  Wells  Walker 

It  was  midnight.  Snow  was  falling  on 
Meriden  Meadows  as  Walter  Winthrop, 
the  aged  millionaire,  walked  slowly  along 
the  street. 

The  first  sheet  of  a  manuscript  should  be  prepared 
as  shown  here.  Every  succeeding  sheet  should  bear 
the  name  of  the  story,  to  avoid  losing  any  part  of  it  in 
editing. 

If  writing  for  a  newspaper  put  your  name  in  the  upper 
left-hand  corner  of  the  first  page.  This  rule  applies  to 
members  of  the  staff,  also..  For  publications  other  than 


PREPARATION   OF  COPY  45 

newspapers  write  the  title  or  subject  of  the  story  first 
with  your  name  and  address  under  it  in  the  upper  left-hand 
corner  of  the  page.  In  the  middle  of  the  page,  a  third  of 
the  distance  from  the  top,  put  the  title,  and  under  it, 
as  you  desire  it  printed,  your  name.  In  the  upper  right- 
hand  corner  put  an  estimate  of  the  number  of  words. 

Put  the  lines  at  least  two  spaces  apart;  three  spaces 
will  please  even  better.  If  using  a  pencil  write  the  lines 
at  least  one-half  inch  apart.  Begin  the  first  line  of  the 
first  paragraph  one-half  way  down  the  page,  at  scale  ten 
or  fifteen,  if  using  a  typewriter,  or  two  inches  to  the  right 
with  a  pencil.  If  you  must  use  a  pencil  have  it  soft. 
The  remaining  lines  of  the  story,  begun  at  scale  one  or 
five,  will  give  what  printers  call  an  indent,  as  type  is  set. 
Leave  margins  of  one-half  inch  or  more  at  the  top  and 
bottom  and  at  both  sides  of  every  page. 

Having  finished  the  first  paragraph,  begin  the  next  on 
another  page,  unless  you  are  writing  conversation  or 
testimony. 

Put  a  ring  around  all  abbreviations  that  are  to  be 
spelled  out. 

Never  begin  a  sentence  with  figures;  spell  them  or 
recast  the  sentence. 

Number  every  page  at  the  top,  in  the  middle,  or  at  the 
right-hand  corner.  Put  a  half  circle  around  the  figures, 
or  a  line  under  them  to-  distinguish  them  from  the  text. 
If  new  pages  are  to  be  inserted  they  may  be  marked  gj,  gf , 
or  better  ga,  and  gb,  gc,  and  so  on.  Page  10  of  the  original 
copy  should  then  be  renumbered  gd,  so  that  if  the  extra 
pages  are  dropped  out  they  will  be  missed.  In  some 
offices  where  typewriters  are  used,  every  writer  adds  a 


46         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

letter  to  his  page  number  on  every  page,  so  that  his  copy 
may  readily  be  distinguished  from  the  copy  of  another 
writer.  Thus:  id,  2d,  3d,  4d,  and  so  on. 

Do  not  try  to  tell  the  whole  story  on  one  page.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  words,  typewritten,  is  a  good  limit. 
Seventy-five  words  with  a  pencil  is  enough  for  an  ordi- 
nary page,  and  it  will  give  the  copy  reader  his  chance. 

Do  not  try  to  write  the  headlines  for  your  article  unless 
you  have  been  directed  to  do  it.  Remember,  also,  that 
"the  blue  pencil,"  in  the  city  editor's  office,  is  a  myth. 
The  foreman  of  the  composing  room,  usually,  is  the  only 
person  permitted  to  use  one.  Do  not,  therefore,  •  make 
any  marks  in  blue  on  your  copy. 

Do  not  fasten  the  pages  together. 

If  it  is  necessary  to  insert  anything  in  the  copy  it 
should  be  indicated  by  writing  at  the  proper  place  ' '  Insert 
A  "  and  at  the  end  of  the  insert  "End  of  insert  A." 

If  using  a  pen  or  a  pencil  be  careful  about  the  capital 
letters  I,  J,  L  and  S.  Underline  u  and  a,  and  overline 
n  and  o.  Small  letters  often  are  confusing  unless  plainly 
written.  Make  your  punctuation  marks  clearly,  espe- 
cially the  periods. 

If  you  begin  a  quotation  do  not  forget  to  end  it  with 
the  proper  mark.  Carelessness  in  this  one  respect  has 
darkened  the  lives  of  many  copy  readers. 

Telegrams  and  long  quotations  are  to  be  set  in  small 
type,  in  most  offices,  usually  agate  or  nonpareil,  or  "six 
point."  This  should  be  indicated  in  the  copy  by  writing 
the  name  of  the  type  desired  at  the  top  of  the  quoted 
matter  and  then  drawing  a  line  down  the  left  side  of  the 
page  to  the  bottom.  This  line  should  continue  on  every 


PREPARATION  OF  COPY  47 

page  to  the  end  of  the  quotation.  Matter  set  in  this 
fashion  is  run  without  quotation  marks. 

If  your  story  contains  words  that  are  to  be  mis- 
spelled or  set  in  any  manner  out  of  the  ordinary  rule,  the 
page  should  be  marked  " Follow  copy." 

Avoid  dividing  words  at  the  bottom  of  the  page.  The 
division  often  causes  confusion  in  the  composing  room. 
Some  offices  paste  the  copy  together,  but  many  do  not 
do  it. 

If  your  story  is  to  be  printed  with  pictures,  this  fact 
should  be  shown  at  the  top  of  the  first  page.  Under  your 
name  write  a  line  describing  the  picture,  thus :  "  i  column 
cut — Horace  Raymond  Plimmer." 

Write  short  paragraphs.  Punctuate  carefully.  Learn 
the  style  of  the  paper  you  write  for;  and,  for  your  own 
safety,  read  it  every  time  it  is  printed;  learn  its  style  as 
to  capitals  and  abbreviations. 


THE  NAMES  OF  THINGS 
Illustrations 

Anything  written  for  publication  is  called  manuscript 
until  it  enters  the  editor's  office,  when  it  becomes  copy. 

The  contents  of  a  newspaper,  farm  journal  or  almost 
any  other  periodical,  are  called  stories. 

A  stickful  is  about  two  inches  of  type.  A  stick  is  a 
metal  frame  used  in  hand  composition — typesetting. 

A  catch-line,  sometimes  called  a  slug,  is  a  word  or 
phrase  written  at  the  top  of  the  first  page  of  a  story  to 
identify  it  in  the  composing  room.  When  a  long  story 
goes  to  the  foreman  in  several  sections  or  takes  a  catch- 
line  is  put  on  every  piece.  Thus:  "2 — Corn  Show." 

The  most  interesting  part  of  a  story,  the  theme  or 
subject,  is  called  the  feature. 

A  story  of  human  interest  appeals  to  the  emotions 
rather  than  to  the  news  sense. 

Upper  case  means  capital  letters;  lower  case  means 
small  letters. 

One  line  under  a  word  or  sentence  calls  for  italics; 
two  lines  for  small  capital  letters;  three  lines  for  large 
capitals. 

To  cut  a  story  means  to  reduce  it.  The  meaning  of 
kill  is  obvious. 

The  patent  insides  of  a  country  paper  are  electro- 
plates or  stereotype  plates  made  in  a  central  plant  and  sold 
by  the  column  or  pound  to  several  hundred  papers. 

Cut.  Used  commonly  in  referring  to  newspaper  en- 
gravings. 

48 


THE  NAMES  OF  THINGS— ILLUSTRATIONS    49 

Zinc  etching.  A  relief  printing  plate  engraved  on 
zinc  by  etching  fluids. 

Vignette.  An  engraving  with  a  background,  or  edges, 
that  shade  off  into  white. 

Vignetted  half-tone.  A  half-tone  in  which  one  or 
more  of  the  edges  are  shaded  from  dark  tones  into  pure 
white. 

Half-tone  process.  A  photo-mechanical  method  of 
making  printing  surfaces  in  which  the  object  is  photo- 
graphed through  a  grating  called  a  half-tone  screen. 

Half-tone  screen.  A  grating  of  opaque  lines  on  glass 
through  the  apertures  of  which  light  from  the  object 
passes  to  the  sensitive  plate  in  photographing  for  the 
half-tone  process. 

Outlined  half-tone.  One  in  which  the  background  is 
cut  away. 

Chalk  plate.     An  engraving  made  with  a  steel  point. 

A  cutline  is  the  legend,  name  or  description  to  go  with 
a  picture. 

Nine-tenths  of  the  photographs  received  in  publishing 
plants  are  worthless.  Editors  always  welcome  pictures 
out  of  the  ordinary.  If  students  having  cameras  would 
only  realize  this  fact  and  give  it  some  attention  they 
might  add  materially  to  their  incomes. 

Black  or  reddish  brown  photographs  with  intense 
shadows  and  bright  high-lights,  on  glossy  or  semi-glossy, 
smooth  papers,  make  good  half-tone  reproductions. 
Avoid  all  rough  papers.  They  are  bad  to  work  from. 

Negatives  and  tin  types  should  never  be  offered  as 
copy.  Unfixed  photographs  or  proofs  should  never  be 
sent  with  stories,  as  they  turn  black  when  exposed  to 


50         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

light.     Remember  that  a  good  h^lf-tone  cannot  be  made 
from  bad  copy. 

A  half-tone  reproduction  from  a  half-tone  print  is 
likely  to  show  more  or  less  "  pattern "  from  interference 
of  the  two  sets  of  cross  lines. 

Blueprints  should  never  be  sent  as  copy  from  which 
to  make  zinc  etchings.  The  original  tracing  or  other 
drawing  in  black  on  white  should  be  sent,  as  it  is  impos- 
sible to  make  a  zinc  etching  from  a  blueprint. 

Poor  photographs  handicap  engravers.  If  the  print 
isn't  sharp  and  clear,  throw  it  away  and  have  another 
exposure  made.  The  new  photograph  generally  will  cost 
less  than  retouching.  Don't  depend  Upon  an  artist  to 
draw  details  which  should  have  been  produced  by  the 
camera.  Retouching  is  expensive.  Resort  to  it  only 
when  you  have  exhausted  all  photographic  possibilities. 

Colors  interfere  with  reproduction.  Usually  it  is 
impossible  to  reproduce  from  copy  printed  on  colored 
papers  or  partly  printed  in  color.  Yellow,  orange,  red, 
and  greens  are  especially  bad,  and  black  printed  over  these 
colors  cannot  be  reproduced  except  by  redrawing  the 
copy.  Very  dark  blues,  purple  and  brown  are  likely  to 
cause  the  same  trouble.  Pale  blues  do  not,  usually 
interfere  with  reproduction,  as  this  color  does  not  photo- 
graph. Keep  in  mind  that  black  printed  over  the  colors 
named  cannot  be  reproduced. 

Put  your  name  and  address  on  the  back  of  every  photo- 
graph. 

Cautions  for  Writers.  Country  editors,  school  teach- 
ers or  principals,  and  occasionally  students  act  as  cor- 
respondents for  daily  newspapers  published  in  nearby 


CAUTIONS  FOR  WRITERS  51 

cities.  What  may  appear  to  be  perfectly  good  English, 
in  the  writer's  opinion,  will  be  likely,  very  often,  to  en- 
counter rules  in  the  editorial  rooms  that  are  surprising 
to  the  uninformed  person.  When  a  correspondent  sends 
in  an  item  to  the  effect  that  "a  glorious  rain  fell  in  our 
community  last  night,  making  the  farmers  jubilant,  and 
causing  a  great  outpouring  of  thanks  to  the  All-wise 
Creator,"  he  does  not  know,  presumably,  that  the  busy 
editor  must  take  out  the  "our,"  the  "glorious,"  the  "jubi- 
lant," the  "All-wise  Creator,"  and  let  the  plain  fact 
remain  that  "an  inch  of  rain  fell  last  night  at  Water- 
town." 

Try  to  avoid  using  old,  shop-worn  expressions.  Don't 
fall  into  the  habit  of  beginning  your  first  sentences  as  you 
have  seen  such  sentences  begun  in  mediocre  newspapers. 
In  short,  don't  begin  any  sentence  in  your  story  with 
anything  except  the  thing  of  prime  interest.  Few  persons 
are  important  enough  to  justify  using  their,  names  as  the 
first  words  of  a  sentence.  The  thing  a  man  does  usually 
is  a  better  feature  than  his  name.  The  best  method  for 
growing  wheat  is  valuable  information.  The  name  of  the 
man  who  discovered  the  method  is  a  secondary  matter. 

Don't  mix  your  tenses.  General  propositions  should 
be  stated  in  the  present  tense: 

He  taught  that  God  governs  the  world. 

He  said  that  the  air  is  forty -five  miles  high. 

He  realized  that  man  is  an  animal. 

An  infinitive  should  be  in  the  present  tense  unless  it 
represents  action  prior  to  that  of  the  governing  verb: 

It  was  not  necessary  for  him  to  know  (not,  to  have 
known). 


52         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

I  intended  to  answer  (not,  to  have  answered). 

A  conditional  verb-phrase  in  a  dependent  clause  should 
be  in  the  present  tense  unless  it  represents  action  prior 
to  that  of  the  governing  verb : 

Incorrect :  I  should  not  have  planned  it  if  I  had  known 
it  would  have  displeased  her. 

Correct :  I  should  not  have  planned  it  if  I  had  known 
it  would  displease  her. 

In  writing  or  telling  a  story  do  not  vary  carelessly 
from  one  tense  to  another.  Decide  what  tense  to  use, 
and  use  it  consistently. 

Don't  get  your  English  from  street  signs,  and  don't 
depend  too  much  on  dictionaries;  they  contain  errors 
and  some  language  not  sanctioned  by  the  best  usage. 

"To  make  intelligent  use  of  the  dictionary,"  says  Prof. 
L.  H.  Beall,  "it  is  necessary  that  we  know  what  is  to  be 
found  in  it,  and  how  to  find  what  we  desire,  with  the  great- 
est possible  speed,  accuracy,  and  satisfaction.  We  con- 
sult the  dictionary  most  often  to  find  the  spelling,  pro- 
nunciation, and  meaning  of  words.  The  careful,  dis- 
criminating user  of  English,  however,  consults  it  often 
on  questions  of  syllabic  division,  history  and  derivation, 
and  usage.  He  finds  there  valuable  lists  of  synonyms, 
antonyms,  and  so  forth.  The  general  reader  finds  a 
substitute  for  the  encyclopedia  in  the  pronouncing 
gazetteer,  the  biographical  dictionary,  the  dictionary  of 
noted  names  in  fiction,  and  the  list  of  foreign  words  and 
phrases." 

Don't  begin  all  your  stories  with  interrogative  sen- 
tences. It  becomes  tiresome  for  the  readers. 

Don't  begin  with:    "Some  time  ago;"  "Now  is  the 


CAUTIONS   FOR  WRITERS  53 

time;"  "A  few  months  ago;"  "Today;"  "Yesterday;" 
"Last  night;"  "In  1911  it  was;"  "Because  she  could 
not;"  "There  are;"  "A  terrible  accident  occurred  last 
night;"  "The  worst  storm  that  ever;"  "Never  in  the 
history  of;"  "Never  within  the  memory  of  the  oldest 
inhabitant;"  "A  bumper  crop  of;"  "In  a  bulletin  soon 
to  be  issued;"  "In  a  scientific  demonstration;"  "The 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  has;"  "Professor 
Henry  Blinker  is  to;"  "Before  the  Civil  War;"  "Thirty 
years  ago." 

Don't  hesitate  to  repeat  a  name  in  the  interest  of 
clearness.  Too  many  pronouns  are  confusing. 

Don't  use  "loan"  as  a  verb,  notwithstanding  some 
dictionaries.  The  preferred  verb  is  "lend." 

Don't  use  "audience"  when  you  mean  "spectators." 
The  persons  witnessing  a  picture  show,  or  photoplay,  are 
spectators.  They  do  not  listen  to  the  picture.  How- 
ever, as  music  usually  accompanies  the  pictures  the  dis- 
tinction is  not  made  easily. 

Don't  use  "amateur"  for  " novice."  Some  amateurs 
are  as  skillful  as  professionals.  A  novice  is  unskilled,  a 
beginner. 

Don't  say  "  the  funeral  of  the  late  Mr.  Brown." 

Don't  say  "be  careful  and,"  or  "try  and."  Be  care- 
ful to  avoid  this,  and  try  to  remember  it. 

Don't  say  "Over  400  people  attended  the  meeting." 
Write  it  "More  than  400  persons."  The  American  people, 
the  German  people,  but  not  "Five  people  were  in  the 


room." 


Don't  say  the  "vast  majority"  more  than  once  a  week. 
Leave  out  the  adjective  occasionally. 


54         JOURNALISM   FOR   HIGH   SCHOOLS 

Don't  refer  to  hogs  and  cows  and  other  animals  as 
"who"  "Which"  or  "that"  will  do  very  well.  Who 
is  used  to  refer  to  persons,  or  to  personified  beings  of  a 
lower  order. 

The  man  who  came  was  my  uncle. 

The  lion,  who  had  been  hunting,  said,  "I  have  found 
him." 

Don't  refer  to  the  state,  town  or  county  as  "she"  or 
"her."  Use  "it." 

Don't  say  "by  leaps  and  bounds." 

Don't  write,  "carpenter  by  trade,"  "plumber  by 
trade." 

Don't  say  "roughly   speaking." 

Don't  say  the  man  died  "suddenly."  Unexpectedly 
is  better. 

Don't  use  "s"  in  ending  eastward,  westward,  upward, 
downward,  backward,  toward,  and  similar  words. 

Don't  say  "the   above";  use  "the foregoing." 

In  direct  address  use  O  with  a  noun,  as  O  John,  come. 

No  punctuation  follows  O. 

In  expressions  of  joy,  pain,  surprise,  use  oh,  as:  Oh, 
how  beautiful  the  mountain  is! 

When  the  sentence  as  a  whole  is  exclamatory  a  comma 
follows  oh  and  an  exclamation  point  is  used  at  the  end; 
otherwise  this  is  the  correct  punctuation:  Oh!  I  have 
forgotten  my  camera. 

O  is  always  a  capital,  but  oh  is  capitalized  only  at  the 
beginning  of  a  sentence. 

Don't  "pave  the  way"  for  reforms  or  new  ideas. 

Don't  refer  to  all  public  undertakings  as  "movements" 
or  "steps  in  the  right  direction." 


CAUTIONS   FOR  WRITERS  55 

Don't  say  "the  remains."     Use  "body." 

Don't  say  "shipped  the  body."  Say  "the  body  was 
taken,  or  sent." 

Don't  say  "had  his  leg  broken."  Smith  broke  his 
leg.  Smith's  house  burned  last  night.  Not  "Smith's 
house  was  burned."  It  is  not  necessary  to  say  the  house 
burned  down  or  burned  up.  Just  say  it  burned. 

Don't  say  "burned  like  tinder;"  "crushed  like  an 
eggshell;  "  "  like  a  bolt  from  a  clear  sky;  "  "  crazy  to  do 
it;"  "tired  to  death;7'  "tickled  to  death ;"  "died  laugh- 
ing;" "bursting  with  curiosity." 

Don't  say  "the  policeman  kicked  him  with  his  foot;  " 
"walked  20  miles  afoot;"  "slapped  him  with  his  hand;91 
"went  to  the  barber  shop  for  a  shave."  In  short,  don't 
write  the  obvious. 

Never  write  that  a  speech  was  " breezy "  or  "neat" 
and  that  it  was  "punctuated  with  applause."  A  clergy- 
man does  not  "perform  at  a  ceremony."  Do  not  say  a 
player  "presided"  at  the  piano;  do  not  say  a  person's 
features  are  "pronounced"  or  "clean  cut";  questions  are 
not  "pivotal";  achievements  are  not  "colossal"  or 
"monumental";  do  not  make  persons  "put  in  an  appear- 
ance." An  assertion  is  "untrue,"  not  necessarily  "ab- 
solutely false."  Say  wedding  or  marriage — not  the 
"bonds  of  matrimony." 

The  more  careful  editors  now  rule  against  the  use  of 
"partially,"  where  "partly"  is  meant.  A  building  is 
partly  of  brick. 

Be  careful  of  "endorse"  and  "approve." 

Don't  "inaugurate"  everything.     Use  "begin." 

Ordinarily  don't   use  "commence."     This  word  is  in 


56         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

the  dictionaries  and  in  English  text  books :  and  it  is  pop- 
ular with  many  persons,  including  the  writers  of  circus 
and  theater  posters.  But  it  is  a  Latin  word  that  came  to 
America  from,  or  at  least  through,  the  French.  Careful 
writers  insist  that  commence  and  begin  are  interchange- 
able, but  seldom,  or  never,  use  the  first. 

Don't  use  any  of  the  words  printed  in  Italics  in  the 
same  connection  as  here  used: 

"Bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  Smith  ville." 

"In  the   month  of  September." 

"In  the  year  1912." 

"He  paid  him,  annually,  $4500  a  year." 

"Three  different  kinds." 

"He  left  in  company  with  his  mother." 

"The  committee  presented  him  with  a  cane."  Better, 
" gave  him  a  cane." 

"The  horse  was  much  smaller  in  size.'' 

"Judge  Blewer  was  present  and  spoke." 

"As  time  passed,  the  bond  issues  grew  smaller ."  This 
is  impossible.  The  bond  issues  were  smaller,  or  they 
decreased. 

Put  the  time  after  the  verb,  thus:  "The  10  million 
dollars  to  be  spent  this  year  for  furs;"  "Bill  Jones  was 
elected  yesterday;"  "The  wheat  crop  of  1913,"  not  "In 
1913  the  wheat  crop." 

Don't  use  "burglarize."  The  house  was  entered,  or 
broken  into  by  burglars.  Burglary  consists  of  breaking 
into  a  house  in  which  someone  is  sleeping.  It  refers  to  a 
crime  committed  at  night.  The  law  makes  a  sharp  dis- 
tinction between  burglary  and  robbery.  Look  up  words 
of  this  kind  before  using  them. 


CAUTIONS  FOR  WRITERS  57 

Don't  use  "claim"  without  looking  it  up.  You  can 
claim  your  hat ;  but  do  not  claim  you  were  injured.  This 
word  is  misused  every  day  in  nine-tenths  of  the  news- 
papers. 

Nearly  all  carefully  edited  publications  forbid  the  use 
of  certain  words  and  phrases.  No  well  edited  paper 
wishes  its  writers  to  use : 

Anxious  for  Eager. 

Would  for  Should. 

Will  for  Shall. 

People  for  Persons. 

Want  for  Wish. 

Expect  for  Suspect. 

These  kind  for  This  kind. 

Rise  up  for  Rise. 

Climbed  up  for  Climbed. 

Climbed  down  for  Went  down  or  Descended. 

Love  for  Like  or  Admire.  You  like  horses  or  admire 
them.  You  like  pie  or  cake.  But  you  love  the  girls. 

Work  was  begun  for  Work  began. 

Landlord  for  Landowner.  There  are  no  "  lords "  in 
this  country. 

Hard  for  Difficult. 

Rocks  for  Stones.     The  man  threw  a  stone. 

Anticipate  for  Expect.  You  may  expect  trouble,  and 
anticipate  it  by  timely  precautions. 

Proven  for  Proved. 

Initial  for  First. 

Biddy  for  Hen. 

Old  Dobbin  for  Horse. 

Bovine  for  Steer. 


58         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

Bossy  for  Cow. 

Fight  for  Oppose. 

Hardly  for  Scarcely. 

Preventative  for  Preventive. 

Between  for  Among.  Between  is  correctly  used  with 
reference  to  two  things  or  two  persons;  among,  to  more 
than  two  or  several. 

Splendid  for  Excellent. 

Son  of  the  soil  for  Farmer. 

Secure  for  Get  or  Obtain. 

Practical  for  Practicable. 

Practically  all  for  Virtually,  Almost  or  Nearly  all. 

But  one  for  Only  one. 

Above  or  Over  for  More  than. 

Aggregate  for  Total. 

Balance  for  Remainder. 

Conscious  for  Aware. 

Couple  for  Two. 

Donate  for  Give. 

Lads  for  Boys. 

Tot  for  Child. 

Kids  or  Kiddies  for  Children. 

Babe  for  Baby. 

Augur  for  Auger. 

Generally  for  Commonly. 

Colored  for  Negro. 

Replace  for  Supplant. 

From  Whence  for  Whence. 

Individual  for  Person. 

Party  for  Person. 

In  our  midst  for  Among  us. 


CAUTIONS  FOR  WRITERS  59 

Less  for  Fewer.  There  was  less  rain  and  fewer  thun- 
derstorms. 

Like  for  As  if. 

Notice  for  Observed. 

Onto  for  On  or  Upon. 

Mutual  for  Common. 

Past  two  years  for  Last  two  years. 

Propose  for  Purpose. 

Realize  for  Obtain. 

Section  for  Region. 

Universal  for  General. 

Vicinity  for  Neighborhood. 

Would  seem  for  Seems. 

Doubtful  if  for  Doubtful  whether.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  many  persons  will  remember  this  rule. 

No  doubt  but  that  for  No  doubt  that. 

Last  for  Latest. 

Infinite  for  Great  or  Vast. 

Setting  hen  for  Sitting  hen. 

Finding  out  for  Learning. 

Per  acre  for  An  acre. 

Furnish  for  Provide.  You  provide  the  money  to  fur- 
nish the  house. 

Coffin  for  Casket. 

Affect  for  Effect.  He  is  Affected  by  the  disease; 
the  medicine  Effects  a  cure. 

Ante  for  Anti.  Ante  means  previously;  Anti  means 
opposition. 

Fungus,  a  noun,  for  Fungous,  an  adjective. 

Reliable  for  Trustworthy. 

Neighborhood  of  50  cents  for  About  50  cents. 


60         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

Studying  the  Exchanges.  Students  will  find  it  to 
their  advantage  to  study  their  exchanges,  the  papers 
printed  in  other  high  schools.  Many  of  these  conduct 
criticism-columns  in  which  the  faults  of  other  publica- 
tions are  discussed  frankly  but  good  naturedly.  With 
careful  attention  to  details,  and  frequent  chats  with 
the  foreman  in  the  printing  plant,  the  student  editor  will 
be  able,  almost  before  he  knows  it,  to  detect  the  weak 
spots  in  the  make-up  of  his  paper  or  the  papers  of  other 
schools.  This  practice  will  be  invaluable  to  every  mem- 
ber of  the  staff,  especially  if  these  members  intend  to 
study  journalism  in  their  college  years,  and  afterward 
to  engage  in  the  newspaper  profession.  A  knowledge  of 
type  faces  and  type  possibilities  increases  very  materially 
the  earning  ability  of  any  reporter  or  editor. 

One  student,  an  intelligent  reader  with  an  assistant  if 
possible,  should  be  assigned  to  the  work  of  caring  for  the 
exchanges.  Desks  should  be  given  them  in  one  corner  or 
in  a  separate  room  where  they  will  not  be  interrupted,  and 
a  certain  time  should  be  reserved  every  day,  or  at  least 
twice  a  week  for  an  examination  of  papers  received.  In 
order  to  get  these  exchanges  it  will  be  necessary  for  the 
managing  editor  to  write  a  courteous  letter  to  the  man- 
aging editors  of  papers  printed  in  other  schools,  setting 
out  the  plan  under  which  it  is  hoped  to  operate,  and  in- 
viting an  exchange  of  papers.  An  effort  should  be  made 
to  get  papers  from  a  distance,  in  many  states,  so  that  a 
comprehensive  idea  may  be  obtained  of  the  work  done  by 
others.  Particular  care  should  be  exercised  by  the  cir- 
culation manager  to  see  that  no  school  be  overlooked. 
After  the  first  few  copies  have  been  received  it  should 


STUDYING  THE  EXCHANGES  61 

be  the  exchange  editors'  task  to  assemble  the  best  exam- 
ples, and  present  them  to  the  managing  editor  and  the 
entire  staff  for  discussion. 

Many  high  schools  neglect  their  exchanges  or  fail  to 
understand  their  importance  and  value.  It  seems  quite 
impossible  for  some  editors  to  grasp  the  fine  opportunities 
presented  in  these  papers  for  criticism  which  is  certain  to 
be  very  important  for  every  member  of  the  staff.  Some 
of  the  most  successful,  most  popular  newspapers  in  the 
United  States  maintain  expensive  staffs  of  specialists  whose 
sole  task  is  the  reading  of  exchanges,  and  the  selecting  of 
the  best  material  they  contain  for  re-printing.  This 
material  is  called  re-print  or  miscellany.  The  great 
metropolitan  dailies  give  it  the  most  particular  atten- 
tion. 

In  a  high  school  the  purpose  of  exchanges  is  not  so 
much  to  provide  reprint  as  it  is  to  give  school  staffs  an 
opportunity  to  study  the  manner  in  which  other  schools 
prepare  their  papers;  how  they  edit  the  copy  received; 
how  faithfully  they  observe  the  rules  with  respect  to 
style;  how  loyally  they  are  supported,  or  the  reverse; 
the  type  they  use,  and  how  they  use  it;  new  courses  in- 
troduced in  the  schools,  and  many  other  subjects  inev- 
itably to  be  found  by  the  thoughtful  student  who  is  sin- 
cerely interested  in  his  business. 

Obviously  the  student  who  proves  to  be  the  best 
reader  may  not  be  also  the  most  deeply  interested  in  the 
purely  mechanical  part  of  a  paper.  After  a  little  prac- 
tice, however,  he  will  detect  at  a  glance  the  strange  or 
unusual  in  type  or  make-up,  and  will  refer  his  discoveries 
to  some  other  member  of  the  staff  whose  qualifications 


62         JOURNALISM   FOR   HIGH   SCHOOLS 

fit  him  to  judge  their  value.  These  discoveries  should 
then  be  clipped  and  referred  to  the  whole  staff  for  dis- 
cussion, and  should  be  taken  eventually  to  the  printing 
plant  producing  the  paper  for  consideration  by  the  fore- 
man. Very  often  these  exercises  result  in  important 
improvements  which  otherwise  might  never  have  been 
made. 

A  column  set  aside  for  criticism  of  exchanges  should 
prove  an  interesting  department  of  any  high  school  paper 
if  only  the  persons  producing  it  have  a  proper  under- 
standing of  its  purpose.  Above  everything  else  criticism 
should  be  constructive,  friendly,  courteous.  In  such  guise 
it  is  welcomed  by  every  sensible  school  editor.  Some 
school  critics,  like  dramatic  editors,  appear  to  believe  that 
fault-finding  and  hair-splitting  technicalities  are  proof 
of  keenness.  Sarcasm  frequently  ruins  this  department, 
as  it  has  impaired  the  usefulness  of  many  otherwise 
excellent  writers  of  theatrical  reviews  in  city  offices. 
Faculty  supervision  appears  to  be  the  only  remedy  in 
some  cases. 

High  school  editors  might  find  much  very  important 
help  in  conducting  their  .exchange  columns  by  consulting 
the  expert  criticisms  in  such  publications  as  The  Printer- 
Journalist,  published  at  Chicago,  The  Editor,  issued  at 
Ridgewood,  N.  J.,  and  The  Writer,  printed  at  Boston. 
In  such  reading  the  students  will  learn  that  it  is  possible 
to  point  to  another's  failings  without  being  offensive. 

What  is  News  in  School?  A  great  editor  once  de- 
clared that  anything  the  Lord  permitted  to  happen  was 
news  for  his  paper.  But  this  rule  will  not  apply  in  a 
school  paper  any  more  than  in  a  metropolitan  daily. 


WHAT   IS   NEWS   IN   SCHOOL?  63 

The  unusual  always  is  news  in  the  clearest  meaning  of 
the  word,  but  not  all  news  should  be  printed.  What 
appeals  to  a  high-school  student  as  a  particularly  attractive 
story  very  frequently  belongs  in  the  waste  basket.  This 
is  where  the  mature  judgment  of  the  faculty  is  needed. 
Paper  and  ink  and  printing  are  too  expensive  to  be  given 
over  to  columns  of  valueless,  silly  or  harmful  paragraphs. 
The  literary  or  social  organizations  of  the  average  high 
school;  the  changes  in  classes;  courses  to  be  introduced 
or  eliminated;  school  board  meetings;  athletics;  new 
books  in  the  library  or  reading  room  of  the  school ;  theat- 
rical or  musical  entertainments  coming  or  in  preparation, 
all  provide  inexhaustible  sources  from  which  the  student 
staff  may  draw  its  news.  In  addition  the  editor-in-chief 
should  have  the  English  instructor's  help  in  selecting  the 
best  themes,  and  one  or  two,  or  even  more,  according  to 
quality,  should  be  printed  in  every  issue.  Indeed  the 
students  will  find  it  to  their  own  advantage  to  receive 
cheerfully  every  suggestion  of  the  faculty  advisers  in  this 
respect. 

To  encourage  students  to  provide  material  suitable 
for  use  in  the  paper  it  will  be  found  advisable  to  conduct 
a  contest  every  month  in  which  money  prizes  may  be 
offered.  In  some  high  schools  extra  credit  in  English  is 
allowed  students  for  exceptionally  good  work.  In  one 
contest  in  a  city  high  school  three  prizes  were  offered, 
$2,  $i  and  50  cents.  All  stories  should  be  handed  in  by 
a  certain  hour  on  a  date  agreed  upon,  and  absolutely  no 
deviation  from  the  rules  should  be  permitted.  Here  is  an 
editorial  printed  in  an  Eastern  high  school,  setting  forth  a 
standard  which  all  students  might  strive  to  attain : 


64         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


"Give  unto  the  BRECCIA  the  best  you 
have,  and  the  best  will  come  back  to 
you."  The  one  who,  evidently  think- 
ing that  "anything  is  good  enough  for 
the  BRECCIA,"  passes  in  a  contribution 
scrawled  in  pencil  and  showing  every 
sign  of  carelessness  and  haste,  is  not  giving 
his  best.  He  is  giving  nobody,  and, 
least  of  all  himself,  a  square  deal.  Such 
an  example  is,  unless  positively  glowing 
with  genius,  fit  for  no  place  but  the  waste- 
basket;  and  to  the  wastebasket  it  usually 
goes.  The  writer  is  not  giving  his  best. 
Consequently  the  best  does  not  come 
back  to  him.  His  harvest  is  discontent, 
disappointment,  and  distrust. 

It  is  the  neat,  well-written  article 
that  goes  to  the  printer:  it  is  the  neat, 
well-written  contribution  that  becomes  a 
source  of  pride  to  the  contributor;  it  is 
the  carefully  planned  and  executed  con- 
tribution that  always  "gets  by."  Those 
that  put  the  most  into  their  articles  are 
those  that  get  the  most  from  them. 
Which  is  to  say,  "What  isn't  good  enough 
for  your  English  teacher,  isn't  good  enough 
for  the  BRECCIA."  That  is  not  too  much 
to  expect,  is  it?  What  true  son  or  daugh- 
ter of  Deering  would  allow  such  small 
matter  to  dampen  his  worthy  ardor  to 
boost  the  BRECCIA,  which  is  one  way  to 
boost  D.H.S.? 


When  the  school  staff  has  learned  that  the  paper  pro- 
duced and  sent  out  to  the  country  represents  its  insti- 
tution, and  that  the  country  will  judge  of  that  institu- 
tion's value  very  largely  by  what  its  students  are  doing, 
the  paper  will  prove  to  be  a  very  important  asset  indeed, 
precisely  as  a  college  or  university  weekly  may  be  a  real 
advertisement  of  value  when  the  faculty  and  students 
need  its  help.  It  is  proper  to  impress  upon  students  the 
fact  that  legislators  may  be  influenced  in  favor  of  a  meas- 
ure affecting  the  whole  future  of  an  educational  institu- 


WHAT  IS  NEWS  IN   SCHOOL?  65 

tion  by  reading  the  paper  printed  there.  It  is  a  matter 
of  record  that  upon  several  occasions  appropriations 
amounting  to  thousands  of  dollars  were  given  a  state 
college  for  printing  and  journalism  after  members  of  the 
committee  on  ways  and  means  had  examined  the  weekly 
paper  issued  by  the  students. 

A  high  school  paper's  staff  need  never  search  far  for 
news.  .  The  important  thing  is  to  learn  what  to  print  and 
what  to  leave  out,  and  this  qualification  is  not  always 
present  in  youthful  editors,  any  more  than  in  some  of 
mature  years.  In  almost  any  large  body  of  students 
there  is  likely  to  be  a  black  sheep,  or  several,  and  they  are 
likely  at  any  time  to  do  something  detrimental  to  school 
discipline.  If  it  appears  wise  to  describe  their  miscon- 
duct in  the  school  paper,  after  consulting  with  authorities, 
it  should  be  done  in  a  way  certain  to  convince  the  reader 
that  punishment  was  to  follow,  or  had  been  given.  This 
subject  is  referred  to  here  because  contrary  publicity 
has  been  harmful  to  many  schools  whose  weekly  papers 
treated  such  matters  with  levity.  The  fear  of  notoriety 
should  be  encouraged.  To  glorify  hoodlumism  in  a 
school  is  to  cast  a  blight  on  its  usefulness,  and  such 
glorification  in  a  paper  is  a  serious  reflection  on  the 
intelligence  of  the  staff.  The  kindly  but  firm  advice  of  a 
member  of  the  faculty,  popular  with  the  students,  is 
invaluable  here.  As  a  leader  it  will  not  be  difficult  for 
him  to  convince  the  staff  that  printing  a  funny  story  about 
the  students  running  a  theatrical  troupe  out  of  town  will 
not  add  to  the  dignity  of  the  paper,  but  on  the  contrary 
will  injure  it,  and  prove  damaging  to  the  school.  No  well- 
conducted  newspaper  will  print  one  word  to  encourage 


66         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

mob  spirit,  no  matter  what  may  have  been  the  provoca- 
tion. And  the  ethics  of  upright  journalism,  in  the  pro- 
fessional field,  are  as  applicable  to  the  papers  printed  in 
high  schools. 

Special  Articles.  Subjects  upon  which  special  articles 
may  be  written  for  a  school  paper  are  innumerable,  and 
exceedingly  attractive.  No  issue  should  go  to  press 
without  two  or  three  such  pieces.  Naturally,  untrained 
young  men  or  young  women  will  not  readily  create  such 
material.  They  will  need  mature  direction  and  sug- 
gestion. One  column  may  well  be  the  limit,  but  too  much 
condensation  should  not  be  insisted  upon  in  the  beginning 
because  it  will  discourage  the  writers.  As  few  students 
will  be  found  able  at  first  to  turn  in  finished  copy,  ready 
for  the  printer,  the  original  draft  should  be  gone  over 
carefully  by  a  teacher.  Very  often  the  most  interesting 
paragraph  will  be  found  buried  several  .pages  from  the 
top,  and  quite  frequently  the  story  will  lack  incident, 
without  which  it  will  fall  flat.  A  little  encouragement,  a 
little  help  in  "getting  away"  will  save  the  contribution 
from  failure.  The  student  should  be  asked  to  re-write 
his  piece,  cutting  it  down  one-third,  leaving  out  every 
superfluous  word,  and  getting  the  action  near  the  starting 
point.  By  citing  the  feature  stories  in  one  or  two  good 
dailies  the  instructor  will  find  it  easy  to  maintain  the 
writer's  interest,  and  encourage  him  to  try  again.  Usually 
the  second  attempt  will  arouse  enthusiasm  leading  to  a 
third  writing,  by  which  time  the  piece  will  be  presentable. 
Students  should  remember  that  this  method  is  necessary 
in  the  work  of  many  of  the  most  successful  writers  whose 
stories  they  read  in  the  magazines  and  newspapers.  Very 


SPECIAL  ARTICLES  67 

few  persons  can  "dash  off"  acceptable  stories.  One 
writing  usually  is  enough  in  getting  up  a  strictly  news 
story,  but  this  will  seldom  apply  to  the  product  requiring 
deliberation.  George  Randolph  Chester,  whose  Walling- 
ford  stories  were  so  successful,  declares  that  he  never  has 
sold  one  that  was  not  written  at  least  three  times;  and 
nearly  every  line  in  the  present  volume  has  been  re- 
written twice.  To  be  painstaking  is  not  an  evidence  of 
amateurishness.  Hand-made  furniture  has  much  more 
value,  and  is  very  much  to  be  preferred  to  that  turned  out 
with  machinery. 

The  best  feature  stories  are  those  touching  closely 
some  human  interest,  something  the  reader  recognizes 
as  having  happened  in  his  life,  something  that  makes  him 
think  of  home  or  friends,  or  stirs  a  laugh  over  some  recol- 
lection aroused  in  his  mind.  To  achieve  this  result  the 
writer  will  use  no  long,  involved  sentences,  no  big  words, 
no  fancy  writing  as  if  he  were  striving  for  effect.  "My 
Room  at  Home,"  will  do  for  a  girl's  assignment,  but 
might  be  lost  if  given  to  a  boy.  "Athletics  and  Their 
Effect  on  Studies,"  will  bring  out  the  best  there  is  in  a 
student  sincerely  interested  in  the  subject,  and  provide 
material  for  faculty  consideration.  It  will  send  him  to 
the  library  for  facts,  and  to  the  coach  for  advice.  Indeed 
nearly  all  the  assignments  given  students  should  have  this 
work  in  view.  Here  is  a  list  of  subjects  suitable  for  boys 
and  girls  studying  English  or  journalism: 

Fraternities  in  School  and  College.  Summer  Schools. 

Fraternity    Effect    on    Scholarship  Studying  at  Night. 

Standing.  The   Importance   of   Shaving    and 

Faulty  Supervision  of  Societies.  Shining. 


68        JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


Clean  Teeth,  and  the  Effect  on 
Health. 

Socials  for  All  Seasons. 

Games  for  the  Boys. 

Athletics  for  the  Girls. 

Life  in  the  Army. 

Successful  Men  of  America. 

Men  Who  Have  Helped  the  Na- 
tion. 

Great  Reporters  in  the  World  War. 

Successful  Journalists  of  England. 

Humorists  of  America. 

What  Is  the  Chautauqua? 

The  Winter's  Lyceum  Course. 

What  are  You  Going  to  Be? 

The  Minister  and  His  Income. 

Sermons  or  Lectures — Which? 

Are  There  too  Many  Churches? 

How  Much  Do  You  Spend  in  a 
Year? 


What  Did  You  Earn  in  Vacation? 

Ways  to  Earn  Money. 

Working  Your  Way  through  Col- 
lege. 

What  the  Cashier  Told  Me. 

The  Country's  Great  Merchants. 

The  Value  of  Latin. 

Fish  I  Have  Caught,  and  Others. 

Where  I  Went  for  My  Vacation. 

Camp  Comforts  and  Camp  Cookery. 

Sleeping  on  the  Ground. 

Tackle  I  Use,  and  the  Bait. 

Amateur  Theatricals. 

Making  Things  at  Home. 

Pictures  for  Bedrooms — Not  Por- 
traits. 

Building  a  Log  House. 

Dressing  for  $100  a  Year. 

How  Much  Does  My  Schooling  Cost 
the  County? 


These  assignments  are  merely  suggestive.  They  give 
some  idea  of  the  possibilities  of  feature  writing,  and  nearly 
all  of  them  have  been  arranged  with  a  thought  for  the 
reference  work  involved.  For  instance,  "What  the 
Cashier  Told  Me,"  will  send  the  student  to  one  of  the 
banks  for  a  talk  on  thrift.  Few  young  persons  realize 
just  how  much  money  they  spend  foolishly  in  a  year,  and 
not  many  ever  have  been  told  what  the  amount  might  be 
made  to  do.  So  the  visit  will  have  an  educational  value. 
The  student  will  discover  what,  perhaps,  no  one  had 
taken  the  trouble  to  tell  him,  that  a  very  small  saving 
every  day  will  amount  to  a  hundred  dollars  in  a  year; 
that  many  boys  and  girls  spend  at  least  ten  cents  every 
day  for  things  they  do  not  need,  and  that  this  amount 
is  enough  money  in  many  instances  to  dress  one  person 


SPECIAL  ARTICLES  69 

for  school.  The  story  should  contain  the  most  convincing 
facts  and  figures.  It  should  show  how  much  interest 
might  be  paid  on  a  loan  with  the  money  squandered  by 
thoughtless  students,  and  what  might  be  done  with  the 
borrowed  money,  not  forgetting  the  attractive  invest- 
ments offered  by  some  banks  and  by  building  and  loan 
companies.  In  every  way  possible  the  ambitious  stu- 
dent should  be  encouraged  to  search  for  the  human  side 
to  his  story  so  that  he  may  arouse  the  interest  of  his 
readers  as  his  has  been  aroused. 

A  story  about  the  winter  lyceum  course  should  not  be 
merely  a  formal  list  of  the  numbers  to  be  presented. 
The  chairman  of  the  entertainment  committee  in  school 
or  town  should  be  visited,  'and  an  effort  made  to  get  him 
to  tell  something  about  the  personality  of  the  chief  per- 
formers or  lecturers.  Such  an  assignment  should  provide 
at  least  a  half-column  piece  of  much  interest.  "Working 
Your  Way  through  College"  might  be  written  by  a 
member  of  the  faculty,  as  a  sort  of  pacemaker  for  the 
staff,  while  "The  Minister  and  His  Income"  should  be 
assigned  to  one  of  the  girls  whose  sympathy  will  lead 
her  to  respond  quickly  to  the  possibilities  of  the  theme. 
Instructors  will  discover  that  girls  are  exceptionally 
quick  as  a  rule  in  grasping  the  idea  sought  to  be  con- 
veyed in  any  article  touching  home  affairs,  and  usually 
treat  it  more  carefully,  and  possibly  more  respectfully 
than  many  of  the  boy  writers.  Some  of  these  girl  stu- 
dents may  aspire  to  editorial  or  departmental  desks  on 
papers  or  farm  journals  after  graduation,  a  fact  which  will 
lead  them  to  do  their  best  work  on  the  high  school  assign- 
ments. They  respond  more  quickly  to  the  economic 


70         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

appeal  than  do  the  boys.  "Household  Drudgery"  or 
"Who  Should  Handle  the  Pocketbook?"  will  receive 
the  most  sympathetic  treatment  from  girl  writers.  To 
the  same  extent  the  boy  student's  enthusiasm  rises  over  a 
subject  in  which,  naturally,  he  is  interested.  He  should 
not  be  expected,  especially  in  the  beginning,  to  show  much 
energy  in  assembling  the  facts  about  a  proposed  summer 
school,  a  meeting  of  the  women  teachers,  a  cooking 
demonstration,  or  kindred  items.  Assigned  to  prepare 
an  article  about  games  for  boys,  the  vacations  he  has  had 
or  those  he  hopes  to  have,  the  boy  student  will  use  every 
minute  of  leisure  in  writing.  These  are  human  traits  to 
be  encountered  in  high  school  exactly  as  they  are  found 
in  the  offices  of  daily  newspapers. 

Certain  students,  it  will  be  discovered,  find  it  almost 
impossible  to  write  the  first  paragraph  of  their  story 
satisfactorily.  Merely  to  tell  them  how ;  to  issue  general, 
class  instructions  that  "the  most  interesting  fact  should 
be  given  first  place,"  will  be  as  useless,  as  little  help,  as 
the  average  city  dweller  would  find  in  a  bulletin  telling 
him  to  "prepare  ground  early  for  the  spring  garden," 
or  to  "have  the  proper  tools  at  hand."  The  beginner  in 
journalism,  unless  he  is  a  marvel,  will  need  to  have  specific 
examples  or  specimens  of  stories  on  his  desk.  Only  a 
few  such  examples  can  be  given  here.  What,  for  instance, 
would  be  an  attractive  beginning  for  a  story  on  thrift? 
Try  this: 

The  boy  who  puts  his  weekly  allowance 
into  his  little  iron  bank  at  home,  not 
trusting  himself  to  carry  it  for  even  a  day 
or  two,  is  not  learning  to  resist  temptation. 
He  presents  two  possibilities:  Either  he 
will  grow  up  a  miser,  hardening  himself 


SPECIAL  ARTICLES 

against  every  pleasure,  or  he  will  spend  his 
money  foolishly,  some  day,  in  a  weak- 
kneed  sort  of  way,  and  get  little  for  it. 
Henry  W.  Watson,  cashier  of  the  Peoples' 
National  Bank,  says  the  only  way  to  give 
a  boy  an  allowance  is  to  give  it  with  a 
string  tied  to  it,  metaphorically,  or  what 


legislators  call  a  joker. 
"I   eii 


give  my  boy  thirty-five  cents  a 
week,"  Mr.  Watson  said,  yesterday. 
"And  I  require  him  to  carry  it  in  his 
pocket.  There  are  no  restrictions  about 
his  spending  the  whole  thing  in  one  riotous 
whirl  of  ice  cream  and  soda.  But  if  he 
hasn't  fifteen  cents  to  show  me  Monday 
morning  he  gets  no  allowance  for  another 
week.  No  member  of  the  family  will  lend 
him  money.  In  this  way  I  am  teaching 
him  how  to  resist  temptation." 


The  cashier  then  goes  on  to  tell  the  student -reporter 
how  much  a  boy  may  save  in  a  year  by  putting  away  fifteen 
cents  a  week  or  ten  cents  a  day,  or  some  other  small 
amount,  and  provides  a  table  showing  the  possibilities 
of  this  fund  if  maintained  and  increased  until  the  boy  is 
twenty-one.  These  facts,  arranged  naturally,  without 
any  attempt  at  ostentation,  will  prove  absorbingly  inter- 
esting. 

Instructors  will  discover  that  some  students  have  a 
tendency  toward  "fine  writing."  This  should  be  dis- 
couraged in  the  beginning.  It  is  a  fault  most  frequently 
associated  with  the  work  of  those  inclined  to  write  fiction, 
with  a  particular  liking  for  love  stories.  To  ridicule  this 
kind  of  writing  or  to  embarrass  the  student  turning  it  in 
at  class  recitations  will  have  a  very  bad  effect  on  future 
work.  Probably  the  most  successful  and  at  the  same 
time  the  most  considerate  way  of  overcoming  such 
weakness  will  be  to  read  examples  in  sharp  contrast  for 


72         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

the  benefit  of  the  entire  class  without  naming  anyone  as 
guilty  of  the  offense. 

The  "fine  writer"  has  no  place  in  the  journalism  of  the 
Twentieth  Century.  The  public  likes  the  plainly  written 
article  which  the  average  person  can  understand  without 
re-reading,  and  without  the  aid  of  a  dictionary.  Instruct- 
ors should  quote  the  sentences  taken  from  a  story  turned 
in  by  a  student  in  a  high  school  class  in  journalism,  in 
which  the  writer  described  the  hero  as  "peering  into  the 
steamy  obscurity  of  the  enfevered  night,"  while  the 
"purple  shapes  of  palms  were  swaying  and  genuflecting," 
the  while  he  "seemed  to  suspire  sigh  on  sigh,"  and  the 
heroine  "vouchsafed  no  answer  to  his  throbbing  appeal." 
It  should  not  be  difficult  to  convince  the  class  that  such 
things  seldom  happen  in  real  life. 

The  happiest  and  safest  boy,  ordinarily,  is  the  busiest 
boy.  Assuming  that  this  is  true  the  student  writers 
should  not  confine  their  journalistic  or  literary  efforts 
to  the  school  paper.  They  should  watch  eagerly  for 
every  opportunity  to  send  a  good  story  to  one  of  the  big 
city  papers,  preferably  for  a  Sunday  edition.  The  story 
most  likely  to  receive  a  welcome  will  be,  first,  the  properly 
prepared  story,  and,  secondly,  the  story  having  some 
real  value,  a  record  of  achievement  in  town  or  country, 
what  editors  call  a  feature  story.  This  need  not,  nec- 
essarily, be  news.  The  man  who  builds  a  house  of 
cracker-boxes  and  old  tin  cans  gathered  in  alleys  and  back 
yards;  the  farmer  who  produces  an  exceptionally  fine 
crop  of  wheat  or  corn  or  potatoes;  the  boy  or  girl  who 
makes  an  unusually  high  grade  in  school  or  wins  a  con- 
test in  a  particularly  brilliant  way;  the  horse  or  dog  or 


INTERVIEWS  73 

cow  that  insisted  upon  returning  to  its  old  home  after 
being  sold  to  someone  at  a  great  distance — these  are 
features  or  news-feature  stories  which,  if  properly  pre- 
pared, are  very  likely  to  be  accepted  at  space  rates. 

Manuscript  may  be  addressed  to  the  editor,  the  man- 
aging editor,  or  to  the  department  editor.  In  any  event 
it  will  be  handed  to  the  proper  person  upon  receipt. 
This  rule  is  safe  in  reference  to  all  periodicals. 

Do  not  neglect  to  enclose  enough  postage  to  bring 
your  story  home.  The  editor  may  not  care  for  it. 

Interviews.  Gathering  the  school  news  and  writing 
special  articles  for  the  high  school  paper  provides  the 
first  and  most  valuable  instruction  in  interviewing. 
Scarcely  any  item  should  be  written  and  printed  until 
every  person  likely  to  know  anything  about  it  has  been 
questioned.  This  teaches  the  student  how  to  meet  per- 
sons and  how,  eventually,  to  get  from  them  with  as 
much  tact  as  possible  the  facts  he  needs.  He  will  be 
astonished  to  learn,  perhaps,  that  no  two  or  more  prin- 
cipals in  any  certain  incident  will  agree  as  to  what  actually 
happened,  so  that  it  will  be  necessary  for  him  to  strike 
a  happy  medium,  tell  both  sides,  and  be  as  fair  and 
truthful  as  the  testimony  will  permit.  As  this  is  work 
certain  to  come  to  him  daily  in  after  life,  provided  he 
chooses  journalism  as  a  career,  the  student  should  give 
it  his  closest  attention.  The  experiences  of  reporters  on 
newspapers  should  prove  valuable  because  men  and 
women  in  the  business  world  are  very  much  like  men 
and  women  in  school  in  their  human  impulses.  Reporters 
know  that  one  man  cannot  be  made  to  remember  any- 
thing worth  telling  if  encountered  in  his  office.  He  is 


74         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

impatient,  irritable,  difficult  to  approach.  He  glares 
at  a  reporter  as  if  the  reporter  had  come  to  ask  for  money. 
But  this  man  is  a  wholly  different  person  at  luncheon. 
Over  his  steak  or  chop,  and  the  other  influences  that 
apparently  have  so  much  to  do  with  regulating  the 
sociability  of  men  everywhere,  he  is  affability  personified. 
He  remembers  the  most  interesting  things.  He  talks  of 
deals  and  contracts  and  great  undertakings,  and  is 
throughout  the  visit  a  real  human  being.  If  he  has  dined 
well  he  is  disposed  to  treat  the  reporter  whom  he  meets 
at  his  club  as  considerately  as  he  would  treat  other  men. 
He  tells  him  as  much  as  he  can  safely,  and  sends  him 
away  feeling  that  he,  the  reporter,  has  done  him  a  favor. 
There  are  very  few  really  big  men  who  cannot  be 
questioned  without  danger  of  affront.  The  men  who 
affect  a  desire  to  keep  their  names  out  of  print  in  con- 
nection with  a  laudable  enterprise;  who  do  not  under- 
stand the  compliment  paid  them  by  the  newspaper  that 
evinces  a  willingness  to  publish  their  opinions;  who  keep 
newspaper  reporters  waiting  for  an  unnecessarily  long 
time  in  an  outer  office,  often  are  men  whose  views  are 
not  of  much  consequence  either  to  the  newspaper  or  to 
the  public.  The  man  worth  while  in  public  life,  with 
nothing  to  conceal,  with  no  executive  sessions,  is  the 
man  who  takes  two  or  three  minutes,  even  in  the  busiest 
hour,  to  answer  a  question  and  send  the  questioner  on 
his  way  satisfied.  Men  who  constantly  avoid  the  news- 
papers are  worth  watching,  especially  if  they  are  en- 
trusted with  public  affairs.  This  is  an  age  of  publicity, 
and  the  man  who  fears  or  evades  it  is  not  the  man  for 
the  people. 


INTERVIEWS  75 

No  student,  and  no  reporter,  should  attempt  to  inter- 
view anyone  without  first  knowing  exactly  the  questions 
he  intends  to  ask.  If  possible  he  should  learn  something 
about  the  personality  of  the  man  to  be  interviewed, 
remembering  that  it  is  immensely  flattering  to  a  man — or 
woman — to  believe  that  his  name  is  known  to  the  paper, 
and  his  opinion  sought. 

Men  differ  in  their  conduct  in  the  presence  of  reporters. 
One  speaks  freely  without  regard  to  whether  the  reporter 
takes  notes  of  what  is  said;  another,  although  eager  to 
be  quoted  and  entertaining  the  most  kindly  feelings  for 
the  paper,  apparently,  is  stricken  dumb  the  instant  a 
pencil  is  displayed.  One  man  insists  upon  every  word 
being  taken  down  as  he  utters  it ;  another  does  not  appear 
to  think  about  how  his  words  will  read  when  published. 
The  reporter  must  be  quick  to  detect  these  things.  He 
must  humor  his  host;  and  if  he  reads  his  notes,  repre- 
senting that  he  intends  to  print  them  just  as  he  reads 
them,  he  must  not  violate  his  promise. 

Some  professional  men  really  object  to  newspapers 
using  their  names,  and  others  object  as  did  a  somewhat 
noted  physician  who  gave  a  reporter  certain  information 
only  upon  condition  that  its  source  should  not  be  revealed. 
"It's  unethical,"  he  declared,  solemnly,  "for  doctors  to 
be  quoted  in  the  newspapers.  And — ah — going?  Don't 
forget  there's  no  letter  's'  on  the  end  of  my  name — that's 
a  good  fellow." 

Students  showing  particular  aptitude  for  interviewing 
will  create  sources  of  news  that  are  closed  to  others  less 
gifted.  Without  certain  reporters  some  classes  of  news 
never  would  reach  the  papers.  Men  will  give  an  item  to  a 


76         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

man  for  whom  they  cherish  a  liking  while  having  no 
especially  high  opinion  of  the  newspaper  for  which  he 
writes.  The  city  editor  can  seldom  induce  these  men 
to  give  their  stories  to  another  reporter.  Sources  of  news 
in  many  parts  of  the  city  are  closed  to  strangers  until 
properly  introduced  by  the  favored  one.  This  is  scarcely 
fair,  but  every  old  newspaper  reporter  and  every  city 
editor  of  experience  knows  it  is  a  condition  to  be  reck- 
oned with.  It  proves  that  the  successful  reporter  has 
done  just  what  every  reporter  should  do:  created  sources 
of  news ;  cultivated  the  friendship  of  men  in  many  walks 
of  life;  listened  to  the  bootblack,  the  banker,  the  poli- 
tician and  the  preacher. 

The  old-fashioned  interview  in  which  questions  and 
answers  were  given  verbatim  is  no  longer  used,  unless 
a  very  formal  statement  is  desired.  Such  interviews 
require  too  much  space,  and  are  dull  reading.  Nowa- 
days the  most  successful  reporters  use  several  methods 
of  writing,  depending  upon  the  circumstances.  In  one 
instance  it  may  be  interesting  to  begin  the  interview  in 
this  way : 

When  Superintendent  Billings  entered 
his  office,  this  morning,  he  was  smiling,  the 
first  smile  his  clerks  had  seen  since  the  leg- 
islature began  to  consider  the  High  School 
Funding  Bill.  Contrary  to  custom  he 
gave  his  first  attention  to  visitors  instead 
of  to  his  books  and  accounts.  "I  should 
say  I  am  happy,"  he  exclaimed.  "Who 
wouldn't  be  happy  with  the  High  School 
Funding  Bill  out  of  the  way,  and  the  future 
of  the  schools  assured?  " 

Evidently  the  superintendent  was  eager 
to  begin  planning  the  proposed  auditorium. 
An  architect  was  the  first  person  admitted. 
"Yes,  sir,"  Mr.  Billings  replied  to  a  ques- 


INTERVIEWS  77 

tion.  "We  shall  start  immediately  to  talk 
about  this  work.  We  shall  have  our  au- 
ditorium for  the  next  commencement,  and 
that  fact  ought  to  make  every  student  in 
the  school  put  forth  his  best  efforts.  It 
ought  to  make  all  of  us  work  better.  We 
shall  no  longer  be  cramped  for  room." 

The  interviewer  may  proceed  from  this  point  in  his 
own  language,  without  quotation  marks,  telling  just  what 
Superintendent  Billings  said  about  the  proposed  addition 
to  the  school,  setting  down,  occasionally,  a  paragraph 
directly  quoted.  This  tells  the  story  and  at  the  same 
time  presents  a  picture  of  the  superintendent  at  his  desk, 
smiling,  shaking  hands,  and  eager  for  the  winter's  work. 
It  would  be  ostentatious,  and  therefore*  in  bad  taste,  to 
say  that  "Superintendent  Billings  told  a  reporter  for  the 
High  School  World. ' '  The  fact  that  the  interview  appears 
in  that  paper,  apparently  with  authority,  will  be  enough 
to  indicate  that  a  reporter  actually  was  present.  The 
best  interviews,  and  the  best  special  articles  are  those 
that  contain  no  mention  of  the  reporter. 

As  a  matter  of  completeness  of  detail  the  student 
should  not  forget,  in  the  instance  quoted,  to  include  in  his 
story  a  paragraph  or  two  showing  how  the  High  School 
Funding  Bill  fared  in  the  legislature;  who  voted  for  it 
and  who  opposed  it.  This  informs  the  readers  as  to  the 
school's  friends,  and  will  prove  valuable  in  future  sessions 
and  elections.  The  student  shoujd  know,  of  course,  all 
there  is  to  know  about  the  Funding  Bill  and  its  importance 
in  school  life  before  he  visits  the  superintendent's  office. 

Another  popular  form  of  interview  is  that  in  which  the 
person  speaking  is  made  to  tell  the  important  facts  in  the 
first  paragraph.  For  example : 


78         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


"No  more  dances  will  be  permitted 
during  examination  week.  That  is  to  say 
no  dances  will  be  sanctioned  by  the  faculty. 
And  we  shall  decline,  also,  to  approve  any 
fraternity  or  sorority  events.  Students 
need  all  the  sleep  they  can  get  at  such 
times." 

Henry  J.  Byers,  principal,  was  speaking. 
Judging  by  the  emphatic  manner  in  which 
he  addressed  his  visitor  there  seemed  little 
doubt  of  his  sincerity.  He  wasn't  angry. 
He  didn't  even  seem  annoyed-.  He  spoke 
as  one  who  has  at  heart  the  best  interests 
of  the  students,  and  created  the  impression 
that  anyone  attending  a  dance  during  the 
proscribed  period  might  just  as  well  pack 
up  and  go  home.  ' '  We  mean  exactly  what 
we  say, "  was  his  concluding  sentence.  And 
it  seemed  to  end  the  interview.  Indeed  it 
did  end  it. 

Still  another  method  is  to  describe  the  person  inter- 
viewed and  the  surroundings.  This  may  be  termed  the 
narrative  form.  An  interesting  paragraph : 

It  was  snowing,  as  the  records  show,  at 
9  o'clock  this  morning,  snowing  hard.  In 
the  office  of  Principal  Smith  the  atmos- 
phere was  a  few  degrees  warmer  than  just 
outside  the  main  entrance,  but  not  much 
warmer.  The  head  of  the  school  shivered 
as  he  stood  at  an  east  window,  his  hands  in 
his  pockets,  his  coat  collar  turned  up.  In 
the  pipes  and  radiators  a  noise  resembling 
that  heard  in  a  boiler  factory  indicatec 
that  some  hopeful  employe  in  the  base- 
ment was  trying,  vainly,  to  distribute  heat 
through  the  school  rooms. 

"Cold?"  Mr.  Smith  exclaimed.  "Well, 
I  may  have  been  more  uncomfortable  in  my 
life.  But  I  can't  remember  when  it  was. 
And  we  are  expected  to  instruct  the  youth 
of  this  county  in  such  an  atmosphere! " 

"What  about  the  heating  fund?"  the 
visitor  inquired,  one  hand  on  the  door 
knob,  as  if  ready  to  leave  hastily. 

"Heating  fund?"  Mr.  Smith  laughed 
sardonically.  "In  the  language  of  the 
farmer  who  was  looking  at  his  first  giraffe, 
4  they  ain't  no  such  thing.' " 


THE  WRITING  OF  FICTION  79 

Under  no  circumstances  should  a  student-reporter 
allow  his  own  feelings  to  enter  into  the  story.  An  ill- 
natured  item  growing  out  of  a  man's  refusal  to  be  inter- 
viewed is  in  bad  form.  The  brief  statement  that  Mr. 
Smith  had  nothing  to  say  is  sufficient. 

Students  should  never  forget  the  cardinal  rule,  so 
often  violated:  Be  accurate.  Particularly  be  careful  of 
names.  Never  guess  at  the  spelling  of  a  proper  name; 
it  may  be  Smith  or  Smythe,  Brown  or  Browne.  Errors 
in  names  are  extremely  offensive  to  many  persons. 
Never  take  chances  with  facts  or  figures,  and  never 
reproduce  ungrammatical  language  if  such  is  used  by  the 
person  interviewed.  Never  write  anything  tending  to 
make  the  person  ridiculous  before  the  public.  News- 
papers have  been  compelled  to  pay  damages  for  such 
treatment. 

The  Writing  of  Fiction.  What  some  tempera- 
mental persons  call  the  commercialism  of  the  press  is  an 
influence  not  to  be  ignored  by  a  student  who  has  an 
ambition  to  write  fiction.  Three  meals  a  day,  with  as 
much  regularity  as  a  man's  income  will  permit,  are  as 
much  a  physical  necessity  for  literary  men  as  for  any 
other  human  beings.  No  man  not  having  an  inde- 
pendent fortune  can  afford  to  write  stories  or  poetry  that 
will  not  sell,  and  even  a  man  of  wealth  would  soon  tire 
of  the  practice  because  everyone  in  the  world  who  writes 
wishes  to  see  his  productions  in  print. 

Immature  minds  cannot  produce  worthy  fiction.  No 
man,  in  the  opinion  of  expert  critics,  can  hope  to  succeed 
in  such  a  field  unless  naturally  fitted  for  it,  or  until  by 
training  and  experience,  he  has  gone  through  a  process  of 


8o         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

cultivation  likely  to  give  him  the  proper  ability.  But 
these  same  critics  admit  that  the  ability  to  write  fiction, 
lying  dormant  in  the  man  or  woman,  may  be  developed 
by  contact  with  humanity,  by  environment  and  observa- 
tion. That  is  to  say,  the  critics  declare,  no  man  may 
choose  fiction  or  even  newspaper  reporting  as  a  career  in 
preference  to  hod-carrying  because  it  might  be  the 
easier  job,  and  expect  to  be  a  sensational  success  or  even 
an  average  writer  unless  somewhere  in  his  make-up  there 
was  hidden  away  the  natural  tendency  to  write.  This 
does  not  mean,  either,  that  the  man  coming  from  a  long 
line  of  writers  can  hope,  because  of  some  hereditary  influ- 
ence asserting  itself  to  produce  a  best-seller.  He  must 
first  have  training,  and  this  will  show  quickly  enough 
whether  the  ability  exists  or  can  be  developed. 

Some  experienced  editor  has  declared  that  no  one  who 
has  had  no  experience  can  hope  to  write  an  acceptable 
love  story.  The  reading  of  such  stories  will  not  impart 
the  necessary  touch,  and  the  most  vivid  imagination 
cannot  do  it.  No  man  can  write  a  good  story  of  the  Far 
North  if  he  has  lived  always  in  the  United  States.  The 
unreality  of  it  will  crop  out  in  every  chapter.  In  short, 
natural  tendency  and  careful  training  are  believed  neces- 
sary in  literature,  and  that  neither  is  sufficient,  alone,  to 
insure  success. 

Quite  naturally  no  teacher  expects  a  boy  or  girl  of 
sixteen  or  eighteen  years  to  know  very  much  about 
human  nature  or  the  impulses  actuating  men  and  women 
in  the  different  walks  of  life.  The  best  to  be  hoped  for  is 
that  the  student  will  learn  the  rules  of  writing.  A  branch 
of  instruction  in  which  the  most  important  help  is  to  be 


THE  WRITING  OF  FICTION  81 

found  is  a  careful  study  of  English  literature — the  reg- 
ular course.  At  this  point  an  ambitious  student  will 
begin  to  see  the  reason,  if  he  never  saw  it  before,  for  much 
of  the  drill  he  has  undergone  in  the  English  department. 
He  will  learn,  finally,  that  what  may  seem  to  be  the 
most  easily  read,  the  smoothest,  most  natural  writing,  is 
the  product  of  patient  toil,  of  much  revision,  of  re- 
arranging and  making  over  until  the  finished  piece  was 
ready  to  submit  to  an  editor. 

Many  of  the  most  successful  writers  of  fiction  in 
America  have  served  as  reporters  for  newspapers,  and 
count  it  their  most  valuable  experience.  In  no  other  way 
could  they  learn  so  quickly  to  detect  shams,  to  know  the 
man  who  poses  for  selfish  ends,  the  politician,  the  society 
leader,  and  most  of  the  other  characters  making  up  a 
city's  population,  and  likely  to  prove  acceptable  material 
in  after  years  for  a  novel,  or  a  short  story.  Writers  rising 
from  the  newspaper  ranks  often  keep  scrapbooks  and 
diaries  showing  interesting  incidents.  Properly  handled 
such  material  is  almost  as  good  an  asset  as  a  bank  account 
because,  for  one  thing,  it  teaches  the  aspiring  writer  of 
fiction  that  nearly  all  human  actions  appear  abnormal  or 
tiresome  if  described  precisely  as  they  happened.  Per- 
haps no  better  way  could  be  imagined  of  demonstrating 
this  than  by  considering  the  ten-page  letter  of  a  suicide. 
Nine  times  in  ten  such  a  letter  would  be  a  disaster  if 
read  on  the  stage  in  a  dramatic  performance  or  used  in  a 
story.  Few  newspapers  would  give  it  space  unless  written 
by  a  person  of  very  much  importance,  but  would  be  content 
with  describing  its  contents.  Such  a  tragic  document, 
however  filled  with  pathos,  must  be  reduced  to  a  few  lines. 


82         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

So,  while  learning  to  reflect  real  humanity  in  his 
stories,  the  writer  must  learn  also  to  come  to  the  point, 
the  action,  the  important  incident,  and  to  have  his  char- 
acters act  so  that  when  the  reader  meets  them  they  will  be 
recognized  as  everyday  men  and  women.  Still,  if  a 
writer  were  to  portray,  faithfully,  act  for  act  and  word  for 
word  the  persons  he  meets  every  hour,  the  average  reader 
would  declare  the  work  an  exaggeration.  A  noted  actor 
once  objected  to  a  part  given  him  because,  as  he  insisted, 
not  a  line  of  it  permitted  him  to  be  natural.  "My  dear 
William,"  exclaimed  the  stage  director,  "that  is  exactly 
what  we  do  not  wish  you  to  do ;  that  would  ruin  the  piece. 
Act  according  to  copy."  The  actor  accepted  the  advice 
and  the  character  was  an  instantaneous  success.  In 
another  scene  the  actor  believed  he  should  be  allowed  to 
return  to  the  young  lady's  side  and  make  one  more 
appeal  after  being  rejected.  The  stage  director  declared 
it  would  be  a  failure  on  the  stage,  no  matter  how  true  it 
might  be  to  human  nature,  and  directed  the  actor  merely 
to  look  back  from  the  door  for  an  instant,  regretfully,  as 
he  was  about  to  leave  the  room.  This  conduct,  scarcely 
what  one  might  expect  in  real  life  between  two  young 
persons,  had  the  right  effect  on  the  audience.  All  of 
which  goes  to  show  that  audiences  and  spectators  and 
readers  do  not  care  for  exact  portrayal  of  humanity. 

In  order  not  to  discourage  the  students  showing  a 
liking  for  fiction  it  is  proper  to  let  them  write  their  best 
imaginings  for  the  high  school  paper,  or  for  the  home 
weekly.  Before  such  offerings  are  accepted  for  publi- 
cation they  should  have  the  most  critical  inspection  so 
that  the  writer  may  not  be  led  to  believe  himself  approach- 


THE   WRITING   OF   FICTION  83 

ing  perfection  too  rapidly.  The  weak  spots  in  the  story 
should  be  pointed  out;  the  difference  between  lofty  sen- 
timent and  maudlin  nonsense ;  the  lack  of  action;  dearth 
of  incident ;  weakness  or  transparency  of  the  plot.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem,  the  average  writer,  even  in  the  professional 
field,  is  the  last  person  to  see  his  own  deficiencies  in  these 
directions.  The  story  he  has  written  is  perfect,  in  his 
eyes.  The  fact  that  the  action  is  "off  stage"  and  un- 
natural, the  conversation  stilted  and  mawkish  seems 
never  to  impress  him.  Sometimes  it  takes  years  to  con- 
vince writers  that  they  know  nothing  about  men  and 
women,  and  less  about  children,  if  that  were  possible. 

Students  will  find  it  excellent  practice  to  try  to  set 
down  in  writing  descriptions  of  five  or  six  persons  with 
whom  they  are  closely  acquainted.  The  first  draft  of 
such  work  will  be  amazing.  Instructors  will  have 
second  and  third  or  even  half  a  dozen  reductions  made 
until,  at  length,  the  perfect  paragraph  will  be  turned  in, 
and  the  characters  will  be  shown,  usually,  as  they  are 
often  seen,  as  clear  as  a  painting.  All  the  superfluous 
words  and  buncombe  will  have  been  taken  out.  Try 
reading  some  of  Hans  Andersen's  fairy  tales  for  exercise 
in  making  pen  pictures. 

One  has  only  to  look  about  him  among  the  hundreds 
of  "average"  reporters,  and  then  to  count  the  really 
worth-while  writers  of  good  books  to  be  convinced  that 
the  number  of  successes  is  woefully  small.  Students 
should  make  up  their  minds  from  the  beginning  not  to  be 
average  men  or  women.  And  the  only  way  to  avoid 
being  counted  in  that  class  is  to  work,  and  work  hard. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  "pull"  in  the  literary  field. 


84         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

Even  if  influence  were  exerted  in  favor  of  a  second-rate 
writer  his  reign  would  be  short.  The  public,  not  the 
editors,  bestows  fame  upon  a  genius,  and  unhappily 
neglects  to  do  it  in  many  instances  until  it  is  too  late  for 
the  worker  to  know  about  it. 

It  is  worth  while  here  to  set  down  the  advice  for  stu- 
dents in  high  school  journalism  classes  not  to  imagine 
that  opportunities  for  the  exercise  of  their  abilities  are 
to  be  found  only  in  large  cities.  No  more  regrettable 
mistake  could  be  made  than  to  leave  the  town  or  state 
where  they  know  many  persons,  where  they  have  been 
educated,  to  face  the  uncertainties  of  a  literary  career 
in  the  presence  of  the  keenest  competition.  Very  few 
of  the  great  writers  of  America  have  their  homes  in  New 
York,  Chicago  or  Philadelphia.  For  the  most  part  these 
men  and  women  live  in  small  cities  or  towns,  travel  about 
as  they  can  in  search  for  new  material,  but  choose  most 
of  their  characters  and  scenes  from  among  their  own 
people,  and  near  their  own  homes.  A  search  through 
the  biographies  will  provide  some  convincing  informa- 
tion on  this  point. 

After  a  beginner  has  had  a  few  years*  experience  on  a 
country,  or  small-town  newspaper  in  many  capacities  he 
should  begin  to  offer  special  articles  to  the  best  mag- 
azines. After  a  few  of  these  have  been  accepted  he  may 
safely  try  his  hand  at  fiction.  His  first  offerings  are  very 
likely  to  come  back  to  him,  and  he  will  begin  to  know 
the  heart-ache  that  goes  with  a  literary  career.  Unless 
he  is  made  of  stern  material,  and  is  earnest  enough  to 
overcome  disappointment  he  might  better  lock  his  ambi- 
tion away  and  forget  it.  There  are  very  few  instant 


THE  WRITING  OF  FICTION  8$ 

successes  in  the  business  of  writing.  Nearly  every  man 
whose  name  is  known  in  literature  has  had  to  persist,  to 
work  year  after  year,  never  letting  up  in  his  determina- 
tion to  produce  something  worthy,  before  recognition  has 
come. 

During  the  period  of  probation,  when  the  world  of 
editors   seems   thoroughly   organized   against   him,    the 
literary  aspirant  is  tempted,   very  often,   to  lower  his 
standards  and  write  down  to  satisfy  the  demand  for  cer- 
tain fads  in  story-writing.     About  the  poorest  of  these 
strange  outbreaks  is  the  slang  story,  purporting  to  rep- 
resent types  of  characters  found  in  the  slums  of  the  cities, 
on  baseball  fields  or  in  racing  stables.     Without  ques- 
tioning the  faithfulness  of  the  portrayal  of  these  types 
or  the  doubtful  importance  of  preserving  their  annals  for 
future  generations,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the 
student  who  gives  time  to  studying  this  class  of  writing, 
except    as    a    diversion  is  wasting  his   talents.     "Pot- 
boilers" sometimes  are  necessary  to  sustain  life,  but  the 
person   who   establishes   a   reputation   for   slang-writing 
is  more  than  likely  to  encounter  some  difficulty  in  con- 
vincing the  public  or  the  editors  that  he  can  write  any- 
thing else  in  after  years.     These  writers  soon  disappear 
from  view,  and  are  heard  from  no  more.     There  is  just 
one  road  to  success  in  literature  as  in  any  other  human 
activity  calling  for  brains,  and  that  road  leads  to  work 
every  day,  with  patience,  good  nature,  and  plenty  of 
smiles  in  discouragement. 

"Don't  think  too  much  of  style,"  said  William  Morris, 
"but  set  yourself  to  work  to  get  out  of  you  what  you 
think  beautiful."  And  then  work  at  it. 


86          JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

Editorial  Writing.  The  first  purpose  of  an  editorial 
page  should  be  to  make  clear  the  significance  of  news,  to 
amplify,  perhaps,  and  secondly,  to  comment  upon  the 
day's  happenings  and  their  relation  to  the  human  family. 
Most  newspapers  have  what  is  known  as  editorial  policy. 
They  approve  or  condemn  certain  political  activities, 
and  exert  any  influence  they  may  believe  they  have  in 
turning  public  opinion  to  their  way  of  thinking.  Whether 
the  editorial  page  does  this  nowadays  is  not  to  be  dis- 
cussed here,  for  whatever  the  basis  for  the  professional 
confidence  in  its  power  for  good  or  evil,  the  fact  remains 
that  as  an  educating  factor,  as  the  disseminator  of  informa- 
tion, it  is  an  agency  second  only  to  the  news  columns. 

In  the  days  of  Horace  Greeley  and  the  elder  James 
Gordon  Bennett,  names  that  come  naturally  to  mind  in 
thinking  of  the  subject,  editorials  were  ponderous,  heavy, 
deliberate,  dictatorial  in  tone.  Often  they  were  very 
thoughtful  and  scholarly  productions,  but  oftener,  as 
history  shows,  they  treated  men  of  opposite  views  with 
scant  courtesy,  and  frequently  in  a  way  which  the  libel 
laws  of  this  generation  would  make  exceedingly  costly 
for  the  paper.  They  represented  then,  more  than  now, 
the  overshadowing  personality  of  one  man,  rather  than 
the  views  of  at  least  a  part  of  the  public.  With  the 
exception  of,  possibly,  Henry  Watterson  of  the  Louisville 
Courier -Journal,  few  such  personalities  now  remain  in 
American  journalism.  Editorial  pages  now  are  the  joint 
productions,  usually,  of  a  group  of  specialists  trained  to 
write  of  specific  subjects.  Persons  charged  with  this 
kind  of  work  may  well  be  considered  much  better  in- 
formed than  the  average  layman.  The  ordinary,  hustling 


EDITORIAL  WRITING  87 

business  man  is  too  far  removed  from  the  history  he  stud- 
ied in  school  or  college  to  grasp  readily  the  important 
relation  between  an  event  of  1918  and  one  of  similar 
nature  recorded  in  1850.  He  has  no  time  to  keep  himself 
informed  as  to  progress  in  municipal  government.  He 
knows  nothing,  usually,  about  the  fitness  of  men  nom- 
inated for  public  office,  and  he  has  no  leisure  for  investi- 
gation. A  news  item  to  the  effect  that  several  men  have 
organized  to  control  the  supply  of  iron  or  chemicals  or 
cotton  receives  only  passing  attention  until  the  editorial 
writer,  going  into  his  books  for  obscure  facts,  tells  him  how 
disastrously  such  a  combination  may  affect  a  commodity 
used  largely  by  a  factory  to  which  he  sells  thousands  of 
dollars  worth  of  goods.  Few  householders  know  whether 
the  cost  of  paving  is  right  or  wrong  until  the  editorial 
page  shows  them  that  the  supply  of  asphaltum  or  creosoted 
blocks  or  bricks  does  not  warrant  the  price.  A  news 
story  describes  the  declaration  of  war,  but  the  editorial 
shows  why  the  conflict  is  just  or  unjust,  and  sets  out  the 
relative  preparedness  of  the  combatants.  Writing  of  this 
department,  a  contributor  to  a  high  school  paper,  J.  Orin 
Oliphant,  said: 

Newspapers  are  makers  as  well  as  con- 
trollers of  public  opinion.  They  can  force 
a  break  in  diplomatic  relations  between 
two  nations ;  they  can  counsel  peace  and  be 
obeyed.  Statesmen  and  politicians  utilize 
their  columns  to  convert  and  to  subvert. 
A  certain  New  York  newspaper  made 
Woodrow  Wilson  president.  It  could 
exert  a  great  influence  in  contributing  to 
his  defeat  next  November  if  it  so  desired. 
What  newspapers  can  do  for  politics  they 
can  do  likewise  for  education.  They  can 
prepare  the  public  mind  and  make  it  recep- 


8B         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

tive  for  any  and  all  changes.  They  control 
the  potential  energy  upon  which  educators 
of  tomorrow  must  draw  for  power  to  turn 
the  wheels  of  their  machinery. 

But,  whatever  one's  opinion  may  be  with  respect  to 
the  editorial's  power  in  the  professional  press  no  one  will 
doubt  its  value  in  a  high  school  paper,  when  properly 
conducted,  and  this  means  with  dignity.  Obviously 
the  writing  of  such  matter  should  be  intrusted  only  to 
the  most  mature  students,  preferably  in  the  senior  year. 
Some  of  the  classmen  will  be  found  peculiarly  fitted  for 
the  work,  and  encouraged  by  contributions  from  the 
faculty,  may  be  led  to  exercise  their  ability  in  the  inter- 
est of  activities  approved  by  the  older  heads  but  still 
unpopular,  through  ignorance,  in  the  student  body. 
Indeed  the  possibilities  of  the  editorial  page  are  almost 
limitless.  Exceptionally  good  work  in  classes ;  a  proposal 
to  add  certain  courses  to  the  curriculum;  a  new  order 
from  the  board  of  education;  methods  of  teaching; 
fraternity  obligations  to  the  school;  honorable  conduct 
in  examinations;  the  influence  of  the  alumni;  good 
morals  in  school;  the  dignity  of  labor  as  touching  self- 
supporting  students;  silly  fads  in  dress;  the  significance 
of  sanitation  in  preventing  epidemics;  the  importance  of 
legislation  affecting  the  schools;  the  kind  of  men  the 
county  has  sent  to  the  legislature — and  numberless  other 
subjects  encountered  in  every  high  school  may  properly 
be  discussed  editorially. 

Aside  from  every  other  consideration,  constant  prac- 
tice in  editorial  writing  prepares  students  for  more  mature 
work  when  they  enter  college  or  when  they  begin  work 
for  themselves  in  newspaper  offices.  The  young  man 


EDITORIAL  WRITING  89 

with  a  well-developed  tendency  for  editorial  expression  is 
almost  certain  to  be  discovered  before  he  has  been  very 
long  a  reporter.  It  is  a  faculty  to  be  encouraged  in  every 
way,  especially  in  one  or  two  specific  lines.  Assembling 
material  for  an  editorial  about  the  country's  financial 
system  may  be  of  inestimable  value  when  the  student 
enrolls 'in  the  course  on  banks  and  banking  in  college,  or 
it  may  induce  him  to  prepare  himself  for  the  position  of 
financial  editor,  a  lucrative  post.  Constant  writing 
about  school  matters  may  develop  an  executive  mind 
which,  later,  will  prove  its  value  in  the  interest  of  the 
school,  or  send  the  student  to  college  intent  upon  getting 
an  education  in  engineering.  Future  governors,  mayors, 
superintendents,  legislators,  may  grow  out  of  the  prac- 
tice gained  in  studying  facts  and  figures  for  high  school 
editorials. 

With  proper  guidance  students  may  learn,  more 
quickly  while  writing  editorials  than  in  any  other  way, 
how  to  express  themselves  clearly,  truthfully,  persua- 
sively, and  this  guidance  will  be  found  in  high  class  news- 
papers. Such  reading  will  convince  the  student  that 
small  words,  simple  sentences  and  brevity  are  the  most 
efficient  means  to  employ  in  his  writing.  This  part  of  the 
work  is  exceedingly  important  because  editorial  writing 
very  often  leads  to  pomposity,  or  self-importance  which 
will  convey  the  impression  that  the  student  is  assuming 
more  mature  wisdom  than  he  actually  has  to  his  credit. 

Editorials  must  be  timely.  Suggestions  for  com- 
mencement or  holiday  activities  may  be  printed  a  month 
or  more  in  advance  of  the  date  when  they  are  to  take 
place.  Christmas  and  what  it  means  in  school  life  would 


go         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

fit  into  a  November  issue;  the  history  of  Hallowe'en  or 
the  Fourth  of  July  or  any  other  great  day  gives  a  legiti- 
mate excuse  for  editorials  certain  to  revive  lessons  the 
students  might  otherwise  forget.  Above  all  things,  the 
editorial  page  should  not  be  used  io  stir  up  discontent  or 
agitation  among  students.  To  quote  the  language  of 
the  street,  the  writers  should  not  imagine  that  their  mis- 
sion is  to  start  something  which  the  authorities  will  find 
it  difficult  to  stop.  Ruskin's  assertion  that  his  one  hope 
in  life  was  to  arouse  "some  dissatisfaction"  has  been 
taken  too  literally  by  some  editorial  writers,  especially 
in  high  schools.  It  will  be  exceedingly  wise  to  reserve 
the  editorial  page  for  the  purposes  outlined:  Comment, 
interpretation,  amplification. 

An  editorial  may  be  biographical,  referring  to  some 
member  of  the  faculty,  a  student  of  high  standing  in 
classes,  or  some  graduate  who  has  made  a  place  for  him- 
self in  the  business  or  professional  world.  It  should  be 
simple,  always.  The  honor  of  the  school  should  be  kept 
uppermost  in  the  minds  of  the  writers,  for  in  no  other 
way  can  high  school  journalism  gain  the  high  standards 
it  should  have,  and  maintain  them. 

The  Paper,  the  School,  and  the  Alumni.  Several 
very  important  things  should  be  remembered  by  the  staff 
in  charge  of  the  high  school  paper  with  respect  to  the 
alumni,  the  graduates  who  have  gone  on  to  college  or 
into  business  for  themselves.  One  of  these  objects  is 
continued  loyalty  to  the  old  school,  and  another  is  the 
selfish  interests  of  the  paper's  business  office. 

If  the  students'  paper  is  conducted  properly  it  can  be 
made  the  principal  link  between  the  school  and  the  grad- 


PAPER,   SCHOOL,   AND  ALUMNI  91 

uates,  and  the  former  students  who  may  not  have  been 
graduated.  This  is  especially  true  in  the  first  five  years 
after  the  students  leave  school.  The  appeal  to  school 
loyalty  is  particularly  strong  then  because  the  graduate 
knows  most  of  the  boys  and  girls  he  left  behind,  and  is 
interested  in  their  progress.  He  likes  to  see  the  paper. 
Indeed  the  graduates'  moral,  friendly,  and  money  sup- 
port is  invaluable.  It  gives  the  paper's  staff,  also,  the 
active  encouragement  of  a  body  of  loyal,  experienced, 
older  men  and  women. 

Alumni  news  aids  materially  in  holding  the  names  of 
the  graduates  on  the  subscription  rolls.  If  there  is  some- 
thing in  the  paper  every  week  about  boys  and  girls  and 
teachers  he  formerly  knew,  the  graduate  is  likely  to  sub- 
scribe for  it  for  many  years,  perhaps  indefinitely.  In 
addition  to  helping  to  hold  the  interest  and  friendship 
of  the  graduates  this  news  has  another  value:  It  tends 
to  give  encouragement  to  the  undergraduates.  If  a 
student  who  is  downhearted  about  his  geometry  or  physics, 
and  is  about  to  quit  school  and  seek  a  job  in  a  grocery  or  a 
garage,  learns  through  the  school  paper  of  the  progress 
or  success  of  others  who  have  gone  over  the  same  road 
before  him,  very  often  he  takes  new  courage,  and  goes 
ahead  with  studies  that  seem  at  the  time  to  have  no  pos- 
sible connection,  however  remote,  with  any  human 
activity.  The  effort  to  hold  all  the  boys  and  girls  until 
they  have  been  graduated  should  be  one  of  the  high 
purposes  of  the  paper.  The  staff,  but  especially  the 
managing  editor,  should  consider  it  a  pleasant  duty  to 
put  the  "pep"  into  the  everyday  routine  of  the  school 
so  that  the  life  will  be  interesting. 


92         JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

To  help  in  getting  alumni  news  a  graduate,  preferably 
one  of  the  faculty,  should  have  charge  of  this  department, 
or  some  one  living  near  the  school  who  knows  the  grad- 
uates for  several  years,  should  be  selected.  Every  school 
has  at  least  a  few  graduates  who  preserve  a  deep,  personal 
interest  in  its  work,  and  are  willing  to  help  it  in  every 
way  possible.  Such  a  person  would  be  an  ideal  editor  in 
charge  of  the  alumni  department. 

Encourage  members  of  the  alumni  to  write  letters, 
however  brief,  for  every  issue,  or  at  least  once  a  month. 
Some  high  school  papers  have  found  it  profitable  to  have 
contests  for  small  prizes,  from  time  to  time,  to  increase 
the  number  of  these  letters.  An  editor  never  should 
fail  to  print  letters  from  the  alumni.  If  it  contains  an 
item  of  surpassing  interest  it  should  be  put  on  the  first 
page,  under  a  display  head,  in  a  good  position.  Show  the 
graduates  that"  you  like  to  hear  from  them  and  that  you 
value  their  help. 

Have  an  alumni  column  in  every  issue  if  possible. 
If  the  letters  are  not  available,  put  in  something  to  hold 
interest  in  that  department. 

Style  in  Writing.  By  reading  the  books  of  standard 
authors,  and  by  painstaking  practice  in  paraphrasing  one 
may  acquire  some  of  the  style  of  great  writers.  A  boy 
having  read  much  of  Dickens  or  Thackeray  or  of  any 
other  writer  in  whom  he  has  been  sincerely  interested  is 
very  likely  unconsciously  to  imitate  the  style  to  which 
his  mind  has  been  accustomed.  While  this  early  influ- 
ence will  be  most  excellent  training,  students  should 
remember  that  the  newspaper's  purpose  is  to  convey 
information,  that  its  material  should  be  facts,  and  that  it 


STYLE   IN  WRITING  93 

is  intended,  first,  to  be  interesting  and  accurate  rather 
than  literary.  The  style  of  Dickens  or  Victor  Hugo 
would  scarcely  be  acceptable  in  news-writing.  A  stu- 
dent wishing  to  be  successful  as  a  reporter  should,  there- 
fore, try  to  develop  a  style  suited  to  the  extremely  mixed 
audience  to  which  he  must  appeal.  His  writing  should 
be  clear,  direct,  and  compact.  To  tell  what  happened 
should  be  the  first  purpose;  how  it  happened  may  be 
recorded  later  in  the  story.  Involved  sentences,  non- 
essentials,  elaborate  descriptions,  will  destroy  the  prin- 
cipal characteristics  of  an  ideal  news  story:  Conciseness, 
virility,  straightforwardness,  honesty.  If  the  incident 
suggests  dramatic  action,  so  much  the  better,  particu- 
larly if  it  is  described  in  language  within  the  understand- 
ing of  the  very  large  number  of  readers  who  have  had  no 
high  school  or  college  education. 

Ordinarily  a  bulletin  issued  by  an  experiment  station 
or  a  board  of  agriculture  is  a  depressing  thing.  It  may 
contain  the  facts  but  the  writers  have  been  so  buried  in 
the  search  for  information,  so  steeped  in  their  sciences 
that  their  natural  style  of  writing  was  suited  only  to 
minds  like  their  own.  This  is  where  the  "middlemen  of 
science,"  as  Dr.  Slosson  calls  them,  may  find  their  field 
of  labor.  These  middlemen  are  the  writers  who  know  the 
technical  terms  and  who  have,  also,  stored  away  a  useful 
vocabulary  of  everyday,  plain  English,  in  other  words,  an 
acceptable  style  quite  impossible  to  the  scientific  men  who 
discover  the  facts.  One  can  easily  imagine  the  descrip- 
tion Alexander  Graham  Bell  prepared  for  scientific  men 
in  telling  the  story  of  the  telephone,  and  then  compare 
the  imaginary  product  with  the  newspaper  stories  an- 


94          JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 


nouncing  the  telephonic  conversation  in  the  spring  of  1915 
between  New  York  and  San  Francisco!  The  great, 
reading  public  is  concerned  with  the  fact,  succinctly 
stated;  it  cares  precious  little  about  the  means.  There- 
fore the  readable  style  is  the  style  to  be  desired  for  pub- 
lication. This  is  the  brief,  narrative  way  in  which  one 
writer  told  of  Bell's  marvelous  achievement: 

Less  than  forty  years  ago,  Alexander 
Graham  Bell,  standing  in  a  little  attic  at 
No.  5  Exeter  Place,  Boston,  sent  through 
a  crude  telephone,  his  own  invention,  the 
first  spoken  words  ever  carried  over  a  wire. 
The  words  were  heard  and  understood  by 
Thomas  A.  Watson,  who  was  at  the  re- 
ceiver in  an  adjacent  room.  On  that  day, 
March  10,  1876,  the  telephone  was  born, 
and  the,  first  message  went  over  the  only 
telephone  line  in  the  world — a  line  less 
than  a  hundred  feet  long.  The  world 
moves  a  long  way  ahead  in  the  span  of  one 
man's  life.  On  Monday  afternoon,  Jan- 
uary 25,  1915,  this  same  Alexander  Gra- 
ham Bell,  sitting  in  the  offices  of  the 
American  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Com- 
pany, at  New  York,  talked  to  this  same 
Thomas  A.  Watson  in  San  Francisco,  over 
a  wire  stretching  3400  miles  across  the 
continent  and  part  of  a  system  that  in- 
cludes 9  million  telephones,  connected  by 
21  million  miles  of  wire. 

Another  writer,  intent  on  getting  the  news  to  the 
reader  immediately,  began  in  this  way : 

New  York  and  San  Francisco  talked  by 
telephone  today.  It  is  about  3400  miles 
from  one  city  to  the  other.  The  most  in- 
teresting fact  in  connection  with  this  re- 
markable achievement  is  this:  Dr.  Alex- 
ander Graham  Bell,  inventor  of  the  tele- 
phone was  the  speaker  of  the  occasion,  and 
the  man  who  listened  to  his  voice  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  was  Thomas  A.  Watson ;  and 
these  two  men  spoke  the  first  words  that 
ever  a  telephone  carried  about  forty  years 
ago. 


STYLE   IN   WRITING  95 

t 

The  first  example  illustrates  the  narrative  style;  the 
second  is  news.  Some  writers  are  happiest  in  one  style, 
and  some  in  the  other.  A  newspaper  writer  rarely 
changes  his  method,  his  manner  or  style. 

Ostentation  enters  into  the  style  of  many  writers. 
This  is  seen  in  bulletins  in  which,  instead  of  getting  the 
reader's  attention  by  telling  something  interesting,  im- 
portant or  novel,  the  author  begins  with  this  sentence : 

The  Division  of  Public  Welfare  of  the 
Department  of  Extension  of  the  University 
of  Texas  was  established  for  the  purpose 
of  assisting  the  people  of  the  State  in  their 
study  and  solution  of  the  economic  and 
social  problems  which  confront  them. 

Nothing  could  be  more  deadly.  Titles  and  depart- 
ments and  "the  solution  of  problems"  gain  no  friends  for 
the  article  which  it  is  so  important  to  have  read.  How 
much  better  to  begin  simply  with  the  thing  of  impor- 
tance !  How  much  more  human  it  would  be  to  adopt  the 
advice  of  William  H.  Hills,  editor  of  The  Writer: 

"Always  begin  your  story  with  a  short  strong  sen- 
tence. Come  to  the  point  at  once.  Don't  waste  words 
telling  what  you  are  going  to  tell.  Go  ahead  and  tell  it. 
What  you  want  is  to  interest  your  reader  at  the  outset, 
and  if  your  story  is  going  to  interest  him  at  all,  the  main 
fact  put  at  the  beginning,  simply  and  strongly,  will 
attract  his  attention  quicker  than  anything  else. 

"Don't  get  the  idea  into  your  head  that  because  a 
sentence  is  simple  it  must  be  commonplace. 

' '  Do  away  utterly  with  the  idea  that  writing  a  special 
despatch  to  be  sent  by  telegraph  to  a  paper  1500  miles 


96         JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

9  , 

away,  is  essentially  different  from  writing  a  story  to  be 
printed  in  your  own  city." 

1 '  I  do  not  say  that  racy,  reckless  writing,  be  it  never  so 
wrongful,  is  unattractive,"  says  Henry  Watterson,  in  his 
Compromises  of  Life.  "It  certainly  pleases  our  worse 
side;  it  flatters  a  combativism  more  or  less  common  to 
all  men.  But  it  cannot  hold  its  own,  and  never  has  held 
its  own,  when  brought  face  to  face  with  upright,  pains- 
taking, sensible,  and  informed  writing." 

A  grave  and  famous  physician  was  asked  once,  and 
only  once,  as  it  turned  out,  to  write  a  column  for  the 
Sunday  edition  of  a  metropolitan  daily  paper  on  "The 
Graceful  Walker."  The  editor  had  in  mind  the  many 
peculiar  persons  seen  in  a  city  throng,  the  men  who  take 
mincing,  hesitating,  timid  steps,  and  the  women  striding 
along  independently,  mannish  to  the  last  degree,  and 
reckless  of  the  toes  they  tread  upon.  What,  then,  was 
his  amazement  upon  receiving  from  the  scientific  con- 
tributor a  treatise  in  which,  in  the  first  paragraph,  the 
reader  was  admonished,  solemnly,  to  see  to  it  that  in 
walking  gracefully  he  first  set  in  motion  the  crural  and 
the  tibial  muscles,  not  forgetting  to  make  the  adductor 
muscle  act  in  harmony  with  the  sartorial  muscle  and  the 
peronius  longus. 

All  this,  the  editor  knew,  was  superfluous.  The 
assignment  he  had  given  might  have  been  made  into  an 
absorbingly  interesting  Sunday  article.  The  trouble 
was  in  the  physician's  inability  to  distinguish  between 
audiences:  The  readers  of  the  medical  journal,  whom  he 
so  often  addressed,  and  the  ordinary,  everyday,  common 
sense  world  where  his  services  were  demanded  only  when 


STYLE   IN  WRITING  97 

everything  else  had  failed.  He  would  have  hesitated 
long  before  saying  "leg  muscles,"  like  a  well-meaning 
lecturer  on  sociological  questions  who  insisted  upon  hav- 
ing things  "function,"  rather  than  "act." 

Practice  in  writing  is  necessary  for  every  educated 
person,  particularly  practice  in  paraphrasing.  This  work, 
if  persistently  continued,  with  a  standard  dictionary  at 
hand,  will  give  the  most  astonishing  results.  «It  will 
enlarge  the  vocabulary  and  make  correct  spelling  easier. 
It  will  give  buoyancy  and  originality  of  expression  obtain- 
able in  no  other  way.  Finally,  it  will  prove  to  the  stu- 
dent's satisfaction  that  he  understands  the  words  and 
passages  he  has  molded  to  his  own  liking. 

Do  not  fear  to  imitate.  Some  of  the  best,  the  most 
successful  writers  of  exquisite  English,  Stevenson  and 
Carlyle  among  them,  acquired  vocabularies  and  expres- 
sion in  this  way.  Of  course  this  imitation  must  be  within 
limits:  It  should  consist  of  copying  striking  passages 
from  favorite  books,  making  condensations  of  them,  and 
a  few  days  later,  producing  the  same  thought  in  your  own 
way.  This  should  be  done  frequently. 

The  best  newspapers  and  magazines,  those  most 
carefully  edited,  should  be  read  daily.  Particular  atten- 
tion should  be  given  the  first  sentences  and  first  para- 
graphs, the  arrangement  of  facts,  and  the  way  in  which 
the  stories  end. 

An  excellent  plan  is  to  collect  clippings  on  selected 
subjects  and  arrange  them  alphabetically,  in  envelopes. 
In  time  this  will  become  an  almost  invaluable  library. 
Newspaper  men  call  such  a  collection  a  morgue.  No 
well-equipped  metropolitan  paper  is  without  one.  Obvi- 


98          JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

ously,  the  editor  has  this  help  at  hand  chiefly  for  the  facts 
it  contains,  and  not  for  the  English,  but  a  student  can 
afford  to  keep  it  for  both.  In  going  to  it  for  inspiration 
he  should  remember,  too,  this  cardinal  rule:  In  fiction 
the  climax  may  be  anywhere,  usually  near  the  end; 
in  writing  for  the  press,  in  journalism  for  the  industries, 
it  should  be  in  the  first  paragraph. 

An  •attempt  to  show  superior  education  by  "fine 
writing,"  always  is  grotesque  or  ridiculous.  This  fault 
very  often  appears  in  the  writing  of  inexperienced  persons. 

Another  grave  fault  found  in  the  writing  of  many 
persons  is  in  the  indiscriminate  use  of  pronouns  or  syno- 
nyms as  a  result  of  an  excessive  fear  of  tautology,  the 
repetition  of  words.  It  will  require  reading  and  study 
to  overcome  this  fault.  Tautology,  of  course,  is  to  be 
avoided,  but  no  writer  should  hesitate  to  repeat  where  a 
substitution  might  cloud  the  meaning.  For  example: 
"There  was  danger  for  the  people  in  the  proposed  action 
of  the  convention;  danger  for  property,  danger  for  the 
party  itself."  Or  in  this: 

"As  far  as  one  could  see,  alfalfa  was  waving:  alfalfa 
on  the  windswept  lowlands,  alfalfa  on  the  plain."  Such 
sentences  make  distinct  mind-pictures  and  convey  a 
lasting  impression  upon  the  reader.  Of  course  this  is  as 
true  in  writing  about  cows  or  crops  as  it  is  in  writing 
of  any  other  subject.  The  purpose  is  to  attract  readers 
and  to  impress  them,  either  with  entertainment  or  infor- 
mation of  much  value,  so  strongly  that  what  they  read 
they  will  remember. 

Mixed  Metaphors,  and  Other  Errors.  Young  writ- 
ers, and  many  old  ones,  are  much  inclined  to  similes  and 


MIXED   METAPHORS  99 

metaphors.  These,  frequently,  are  mixed  in  a  way  cer- 
tain to  irritate  the  copy-readers,  prove  very  entertaining 
to  the  subscribers,  and  make  the  paper  ridiculous.  .No 
usage  is  more  dangerous.  "The  noted  aviator,"  wrote  a 
young  reporter,  "declared  he  would  leave  no  stone  un- 
turned in  his  efforts  to  win  the  altitude  record."  While 
this  is  sufficiently  absurd  it  is  no  worse  than  a  quotation 
from  the  Hartford  Times,  found  in  Robert  Luce's  "Writ- 
ing for  the  Press,"  in  which  a  correspondent  said  of  Mr. 
Elaine :  ' '  Like  a  drowning  man,  lie  did  not  let  the  grass 
grow  under  his  feet  before  snatching  at  a  straw,"  or 
the  Boston  Journal's  editorial  declaration,  cited  in  the 
same  book,  that  Fred  Douglass  would  not  "be  blinded 
by  the  noise  of  brass  bands."  "Mr.  Jones  once  shook 
hands  with  a  crowned  head,"  is  astonishing,  when  crit- 
ically considered,  but  certainly  no  more  remarkable 
than  the  story  of  a  young  reporter  in  Kansas  City  in 
which  the  public  learned  that  a  gasoline  stove  "exploded 
without  a  word  of  warning,"  and,  upon  another  occasion, 
that  a  man  "struck  the  girl  he  was  engaged  to's  brother." 
Some  of  these  examples  are,  of  course,  rather  extreme. 
They  are  used  here  merely  to  impress  upon  students  and 
others  the  folly,  altogether  too  common,  of  trying  for 
effect,  and  thereby  achieving  a  most  undesirable  result. 
The  safest  rule  is  to  say  plainly  what  is  to  be  said  and 
to  have  done  with  it.  Avoid  exaggeration.  What,  for 
instance,  did  the  student  mean  who  wrote:  "A  college 
education  is  worth  its  weight  in  gold  to  me?"  Attempted 
epigrams,  superlatives  that  will  not  bear  analysis  at  the 
editor's  desk,  incorrect  quotations  that  prove  one's  lazi- 
ness, carelessness  or  ignorance;  all  these  faults  should  be 


ioo       JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

guarded  against,  and  the  best  way  to  do  it  is  to  keep  the 
vocabulary  clean  by  reading  well  written  books  and 
newspapers  and  magazines.  Such  faults  are  as  objection- 
able in  the  office  of  a  professional  or  trade  publication  as 
at  the  desk  of  the  city  editor  of  a  metropolitan  daily 
paper.  Excursions  abroad  in  English  may  safely  be  taken 
only  by  the  experienced,  and  many  experienced  writers 
are  guilty  of  grave  errors.  It  is  always  advisable,  when 
in  doubt,  to  follow  the  purists.  This  may  save  the 
writer's  reputation  in  some  places.  There  is  excellent 
authority  for  saying  reliable  and  as  though,  but  it  is  better 
to  use  trustworthy  and  as  if,  and  thereby  escape  criticism. 
"Every  writer,"  says  Alfred  Ayres  in  'Some  111  Used 
Words,'  " should  aim  to  preserve  the  individuality  of  the 
words  he  uses;  he  should  not  allow  any  word  to  trench 
on  the  domain  of  any  other  word.  This  he  should  do 
in  the  interest  of  clearness;  in  this  way  only  can  he 
avoid  ambiguity.  The  so-called  new  meanings  are  the 
product  either  of  a  restricted  vocabulary  or  of  a  lack  of 
painstaking." 

It  is  not  the  purpose  here  to  give  students  a  course  in 
English,  but  it  is  deemed  wise,  nevertheless,  to  point  out 
several  errors  made  by  nearly  all  young  writers.  While 
these  errors  are  not  always  embarrassing  and  may  not, 
indeed,  be  detected  by  many  persons,  they  are  errors  just 
the  same,  and  for  that  reason  should  be  avoided. 

How  many  persons  can  write,  correctly,  a  hundred 
words  in  which  will  and  shall  and  would  and  should  are 
necessary,  and  use  these  auxiliaries  properly?  Bourke 
Cockran,  a  somewhat  noted  orator,  was  reported  by  the 
New  York  Sun  in  this  way : 


MIXED   METAPHORS 


101 


I  believe  it  should  be  allowed  to  carry 
out  any  reasonable  tariff  policy  without 
obstruction.  If  it  brings  prosperity  we 
will  (shall)  all  be  content.  If  it  does  not 
we  will  (shall)  all  know  that  some  other 
remedy  is  required,  and  by  the  process  of 
elimination  (we)  will  (shall)  come  down  to 
the  only  radical  cure.  Let  tariff  legisla- 
tion be  enacted  immediately  and  we  will 
(shall)  have  a  chance  to  test  the  sentiments 
of  the  country  on  the  silver  question  alone, 
unembarrassed  by  tariff. 


Shall  is  to  be  used  in  the  first  person,  and  will  in  the 
second  and  third  persons  simply  as  auxiliaries  to  predict 
future  action  or  condition.  For  example  :— 


I  sh'all  return  Monday. 
You  will  miss  your  train. 
We  shall  fail. 

You  will  injure  yourselves. 
You  will  lose  your  way. 


Simply  to  foretell  that  something  is  going  to  happen 
use  shall  with  I,  or  we,  and  will  with  other  subjects. 

Will  is  used  with  I  or  we,  and  shall  with  other  sub- 
jects, to  promise  or  to  show  the  intention  or  determination 
of  the  speaker,  who  controls  the .  action  whoever  may 
perform  it.  Thus: 


I  will  pay  the  bill. 

We  will  help  you. 

They  shall  not  escape. 

You  shall  go. 

He  shall  be  detained. 

You  shall  vacate  the  house. 


Should  and  would  follow  the  same  rule  as  shall  and  will. 
In  this  way: 


io2       JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 


I  should  not  need  your  help,  and,  if  I  did 
I  would  not  ask  it. 

I  asked  him  whether  he  should  go  or  stay 
("Shall  you  go  or  stay?  ") 

He  said  that  he  should  stay  ("I  shall 
stay"). 

He  said  that  he  would  go  ("I  will  go "). 

He  feared  lest  he  should  fall  ("I  shall 
(fall". 

The  foregoing  are  simple  rules  of  grammar  taught  in 
the  grade  schools,  but  experience  shows  that  they  are 
forgotten  by  many  pupils.  The  writer  wishing  to  use 
the  proper  word,  and  being  in  doubt  should  consult  his 
grammar  or  lessons  in  English,  or  even  a  dictionary.. 
Another  example  from  The  Sun,  quoted  by  Alfred  Ayres, 
shows  the  improper  and  the  proper  use  of  would  and  should: 

If  that  were  all  that  he  meant  he  would 
not  be  supporting  it,  and  I  would  (should) 
not  be  taking  the  trouble  to  oppose  it.  If 
everything  in  the  world  be  increased  10 
per  cent  in  value,  why  we  would  (should) 
pay  10  per  cent  in  addition  for  what  we 
would  (should)  buy  and  we  would  (should) 
get  10  per  cent  more  for  what  we  would 
(should)  sell,  and  we  would  (should)  be 
exactly  in  the  same  place  we  occupied 
(were  in)  before. 

A  particularly  troublesome  form  of  noun  construc- 
tion, seen  in  every  issue  of  most  newspapers,  might  be 
eliminated  with  much  credit  to  what  is  termed  "News- 
paper English."  Several  examples  are  given: 

The  Sons  of  Erin  will  hold  a  meeting, 
(will  meet)  Thursday  night,  for  the  purpose 
of  electing  (to  elect)  officers. 

Material  was,  Friday  morning,  received 
(received  Friday  morning)  for  the  construc- 
tion of  (to  construct)  the  first  wing  of  the 
new  depot  (station)  at  Twentieth  Street 
and — . 

In  the  consideration  of  (in  considering) 


MIXED   METAPHORS 


103 


Dr.  Ling's  evidence  (testimony)  Judge 
Brooker  stated  that  he  (said  he)  did  not 
want  (desire  or  care)  to  be  responsible  for 
the  establishment  of  (for  establishing)  a  pre- 
cedent— . 

In  the  collection  of  (in  collecting)  taxes, 
Mr.  Harrison  claims  (says)  he  has  ex- 
ceeded all — . 

It  is  not  by  the  consolidation  of  (by  con- 
solidating) these  mills  that  the  millers  of 
Kansas  hope  to  win,  but  in  the  distribution 
of  (in  distributing)  the  products — . 

It  was  shown  that  in  Denver  over  (more 
than)  $1,000,000  (i  million  dollars)  was 
spent  in  the  repression  (in  repressing)  and 
correction  (correcting)  of  crime.  This 
means  a  per  capita — . 


The  mixing  of  languages  is  exceptionally  bad  style. 
The  Latin  preposition  per  is  much  over  used.  It  is  cor- 
rect before  Latin  nouns  only.:  per  cent,  per  annum,  per 
diem.  How  much  better  to  write  "He  received  five  dol- 
lars a  day;"  "the  yield  was  50  bushels  an  acre;"  "he 
spent  $5,000  a  year." 

Obviously,  it  is  impracticable  for  editors  of  copy- 
readers  to  correct  more  than  a  small  number  of  such 
errors  as  those  quoted;  the  wonder  is  that  they  correct 
so  many.  It  is  under  the  pressure  inevitable  to  such 
work  that  these  editors  pass  quickly  over  sentences  like 
these : 


The  board  of  regents  and  President 
Waters  were  given  a  reception  last  night. 

Johnson  was  given  the  fight  in  the  ninth 
round.  An  hour  later  he  was  given  the 
gate  receipts,  or  at  least  a  large  share  of 
those  receipts,  and  a  purse  on  the  side. 

Farmers  are  given  another  chance  to 
grow  a  crop  of  corn. 

Roosevelt  was  given  a  reception  as  he 
entered  the  auditorium.  ' 


104       JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

Correct  example :  A  reception  was  given  the  board  of 
regents  and  President  Waters. 

Managing  editors  have  wept  over  this  double-headed 
savage.  Warnings  have  been  issued,  men  have  been  dis- 
charged, rewards  have  been  offered,  but  still  this  queer 
construction  holds  its  place  in  many  offices.  Seldom  can 
writers  be  induced  to  turn  it  around.  It  is  as  difficult 
to  make  them  understand  that  "the  fight  was  given  to  John- 
son in  the  ninth  round,"  as  it  is  to  impress  upon  them  that 
committee,  board,  commission,  are  collective  nouns,  that 
the  committee  was,  and  not  were.  Only  in  rare  cases  in 
which -the  individual  members  of  the  committee,  board, 
or  commission  are  thought  of  should  were  be  used  instead 
of  was. 

Reporters  seem  to  delight  in  using  former  and  latter 
until  readers  are  wearied  trying  to  follow  the  meaning. 
These  words,  and  any  other  form  of  antecedent  con- 
struction, should  be  used  very  sparingly.  Anything 
that  sends  the  reader  back  or  takes  his  attention  from 
the  story — foot-notes,  for  example — should  be  avoided. 

As  the  student  progresses  in  the  study  of  special 
journalism  he  will  encounter  rules  against  many  words 
and  phrases  that  have  been  to  him  as  family  heirlooms, 
words  he  sees  daily  in  the  newspapers  and  in  books, 
phrases  that  have  become  a  part  of  the  speech  he  uses 
and  hears  others  use.  He  probably  will  be  interested, 
and  perhaps  amazed  to  learn  that  the  final  '  V  has  been 
dropped  from  afterward,  backward,  upward,  downward, 
in  this  country,  although  not  in  England;  that  antici- 
pate does  not  mean  what  it  is  supposed  to  mean ;  that  there 
is  a  rather  important  distinction  between  anxious  and 


MIXED   METAPHORS  105 

eager;  that  desirous,  solicitous,  concerned  are  perfectly 
good  words,  little  used ;  that  financial  and  pecuniary  are 
not  interchangeable;  that  hurry  is  used  frequently  when 
haste  would  be  a  better  word;  that  each  other  should  be 
used  in  speaking  of  two  persons  and  one  another  when 
referring  to  more  than  two,  an  error  found  in  the  books 
of  nearly  all  English  writers,  and  in  many  American 
publications. 

Example:  When  Nichols  and  Case  met  they  greeted 
each  other  as  old  friends. 

Ten  or  twelve  women  and  girls  jostled  one  another  in 
their  eagerness  to  enter  the  department  store  in  time  for 
the  White  Sale. 


THE  LAW  OF  COPYRIGHT 


Under  the  Copyright  Act  now  in  force  these  are  the 
steps  required  to  be  taken  to  obtain  copyright  registra- 
tion for  periodicals : 

1.  Publish  each  number  (that  is,   place  it  on  sale, 
sell  or  publicly  distribute  it),  after  printing  therein  the 
required  copyright  notice,  and  before  making  any  appli- 
cation to  the  Copyright  Office  for  registration.     (As  to 
the  form  and  position  of  the  notice  see  below.) 

2.  Promptly    after    the    publication    of    each    issue 
send  two  copies  thereof  to  the  Copyright  Office,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  with  a  formal  claim  to  copyright  as  re- 
quired by  law  to  protect   the   copyrightable   contents. 
This  may  best  be  done  by  using  application  Form  Bi. 
Also  send  a  remittance  by  money  order  for  the  statutory 
fee  of  $i,  which  sum  includes  the  cost  of  a    certificate 
under  seal.     Such  certificate  the  law  expressly  provides 
"  shall  be  admitted  in  any  court  as  prima  facie  evidence 
of  the  facts  stated  therein." 

Application  forms  for  registration  will  be  forwarded 
by  the  Copyright  Office  on  request. 

Publishers  who  desire  to  do  so  may  send  in  advance  a 
sum  to  be  placed  to  their  credit  against  which  the  fees 
will  be  charged  for  each  registration  to  be  made  thereafter 
upon  the  deposit  in  the  Copyright  Office  of  the  copies 
of  the  successive  issues  promptly,  from  time  to  time,  as 
they  are  published,  accompanied  by  the  required  "claim 
of  copyright7'  made  upon  Form  B2.  This  must  state 

1 06 


THE  LAW  OF  COPYRIGHT  107 

the  exact  date  of  publication  of  the  issue  (the  earliest  date 
when  copies  of  the  first  authorized  edition  were  placed 
on  sale,  sold,  or  publicly  distributed  by  the  proprietor 
of  the  copyright  or  under  his  authority). 

Notice  of  Copyright:  The  law  prescribes  that  the 
copyright  notice  shall  consist  either  of  the  word  "Copy- 
right" or  the  abbreviation  "Copr. "  accompanied  by  the 
name  of  the  copyright  proprietor,  and  the  year  in  which 
publication  was  made. 

In  the  case  of  a  periodical  the  law  directs  that  the 
notice  sheuld  be  applied  either  upon  the  title-page,  or 
upon  the  first  page  of  text  of  each  separate  number,  or 
under  the  title  heading.  The  law  expressly  provides  that 
one  notice  of  copyright  in  each  number  of  a  newspaper  or 
periodical  published  shall  suffice. 

Titles :  The  general  title  of  a  newspaper,  magazine,  or 
other  periodical  cannot  be  recorded  under  the  copyright 
law  to  protect  the  title  as  such,  or  apart  from  any  par- 
ticular issue  of  the  periodical.  Copyright  registration 
is  not  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the  exclusive  right  to 
use  the  title,  but  to  protect  the  contents  of  a  number. 

Typesetting  in  the  United  States:  Section  15  of 
the  law  provides  "That  of  the  printed  book  or  period- 
ical .  .  .  the  text  of  all  copies  accorded  protection  under 
this  Act  .  .  .  shall  be  printed  from  type  set  within  the 
limits  of  the  United  States,  either  by  hand  or  by  the  aid 
of  any  kind  of  typesetting  machine,  or  from  plates  made 
within  the  limits  of  the  United  States  from  type  set 
therein,  or,  if  the  text  be  produced  by  lithographic  process, 
or  photo-engraving  process,  then  by  a  process  wholly 
performed  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States." 


JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

Franking  Privilege :  The  law  requires  that  the  post- 
master to  whom  the  articles  to  be  deposited  in  the  Copy- 
right Office  are  delivered  shall,  if  requested,  give  a  receipt 
therefor  and  shall  mail  them  to  their  destination  without 
cost  to  the  copyright  claimant.  According  to  the  ruling 
of  the  Post  Office  Department  the  money  order  (or  other 
remittance),  and  the  revenue  stamp  are  not  entitled  to 
free  postal  transmission.  These  with  the  application' 
should  therefore  be  forwarded  in  an  envelope  addressed 
to  the  Register  of  Copyrights  to  which  letter  postage  has 
been  affixed. 

Fees :  The  statutory  fee  of  the  registration  of  any  one 
issue  of  a  periodical  is  one  dollar,  including  a  certificate 
under  seal  as  explained  in  the  foregoing.  Every  issue  of 
a  copyright  periodical  requires  the  payment  of  its  own 
registration  fee  of  one  dollar. 

Contributions  to  Periodicals :  Section  3  of  the  Copy- 
right Act  provides  "That  the  copyright  provided  by  this 
Act  shall  protect  all  the  copyrightable  component  parts 
of  the  work  copyrighted,  and  all  matter  therein  in  which 
copyright  is  already  subsisting,  but  without  extending 
the  duration  or  scope  of  such  copyright.  The  copyright 
upon  composite  works  or  periodicals  shall  give  to  the  pro- 
prietor thereof  all  the  rights  in  respect  thereto  which  he 
would  have  if  each  part  were  individually  copyrighted 
under  this  Act." 

But  copyright  registration  may  be  specially  made  for 
any  particular  contribution  to  a  periodical  if  desired. 
The  copyright  notice  should  be  printed  upon  such  con- 
tribution in  the  periodical  and  a  single  copy  of  the  peri- 
odical should  be  deposited  for  registration  of  the  particular 


THE  LAW  OF  COPYRIGHT  10$ 

contribution,    accompanied   by    a   copyright   claim,    for 
which  application   Form  AS  should  be  used. 

Remittances  should  be  made  by  money  order,  pay- 
able to  the  Register  of  Copyrights.  No  money  (cur- 
rency or  coin)  should  be  placed  in  any  letter  or  other 
matter  sent  to  the  Copyright  Office;  all  remitters  are 
urged  to  send  an  identifiable  remittance.  Postage  stamps 
should  not  be  sent  as  fees.  Checks  cannot  be  accepted 
because  of  the  procedure  in  relation  to  copyright  fees 
established  under  the  rules  of  the  Treasury  Department. 
To,  a  void  the  trouble  of  their  being  returned,  therefore, 
checks  should  not  be  sent  for  copyright  fees,  unless  cer- 
tified. 


THE  LAW  OF  LIBEL 

It  is  not  wise  for  a  newspaper  writer  to  concern  him- 
self too  much  about  the  law  of  libel,  but  every  writer,  and 
for  that  matter  every  business  man  also,  should  have 
some  knowledge  of  what  is  meant  by  freedom  of  speech 
and  freedom  of  the  press.  If  a  reporter's  mind  be  kept 
constantly  on  the  danger  of  libel  his  writing  is  likely  to 
be  cramped  and  his  expression  restricted.  The  fear  of 
possible  consequences  would  hamper  his  work.  But  the 
public  has  certain  rights  he  must  respect.  When  the 
Constitution  guaranteed  free  speech  and  a  free  press  it 
guaranteed  no  more  freedom  to  the  press  than  to  the 
people.  A  newspaper  cannot  rightly  and  safely  print 
anything  a  man  may  not  speak. 

No  man  can  reasonably  set  his  reputation  at  a  higher 
estimate  than  the  law  puts  on  it,  and  the  law,  acting  in 
the  same  spirit  in  which  in  criminal  cases  it  presupposes 
a  man  innocent  until  he  is  proved  guilty,  declares  him 
wronged  until  the  accusing  paper  proves  its  case.  And 
even  then,  if  malice  be  proved,  the  truth  is  not  a  complete 
defense. 

Libel  laws  differ  in  the  several  states  but  all,  finally, 
are  based  on  the  Constitution.  Libels  affecting  the  repu- 
tations of  private  persons  may  be  classified  in  this  way : 

Libels  imputing  to  a  person  the  commission  of  a 
crime ;  libels  having  a  tendency  to  injure  him  in  his  office, 
profession,  calling  or  trade;  libels  holding  him  up  to 
scorn  and  ridicule,  and  to  feelings  of  contempt  or  execra- 

IIO 


THE   LAW   OF   LIBEL  m 

tion,  or  impairing  him  in  the  enjoyment  of  general  society. 
On  this  subject  Newell,  on  "Slander  and  Libel,"  in  de- 
scribing the  general  doctrine,  says  it  is  a  libel  to  impute 
to  anyone  holding  office  that  he  has  been  guilty  of  improper 
conduct  in  his  office,  or  is  actuated  by  wicked,  corrupt  or 
selfish  motives,  or  is  incompetent  for  the  post.  It  is 
libelous  to  say  of  any  member  of  the  learned  professions 
that  he  does  not  possess  the  technical  knowledge  neces 
sary  to  the  proper  practice  of  such  profession,  or  that  he 
has  been  guilty  of  professional  misconduct. 

It  is  not  necessary,  as  in  the  case  of  slander,  that  the 
person  libeled  should  still  hold  office  or  exercise  that  pro- 
fession. It  is  actionable  to  impute  past  misconduct 
when  in  office.  The  books  are  filled  with  cases  supporting 
this  view. 

There  is  little  distinction  between  libel  and  slander 
because  slanderous  words  are  punishable  whether  printed 
or  spoken.  In  short,  to  put  it  very  plainly,  do  not  print 
anything  about  a  man  that  you  would  not  dare  to  say  to 
his  face. 


JOURNALISM,  COLLEGE,  UNIVERSITY  AND 
PROFESSIONAL 

Students  who  have  maintained  their  interest  in 
journalism  throughout  their  high  school  years,  who  have 
worked  diligently  to  make  the  school  paper  the  best  in 
the  state,  are  very  likely  to  know,  before  graduation, 
whether  journalism  is  to  be  a  part  of  their  course  upon 
entering  college  or  university.  No  more  dependable 
test  could  be  imagined.  If  the  university  be  their  choice 
they  will  turn,  very  naturally  to  preparation  for  country 
or  city  newspaper,  while  in  the  state  college,  where  the  two 
institutions  are  separate,  agricultural  and  industrial 
journalism  are  presented.  In  either  field  the  students 
will  learn  after  graduation  that  for  the  energetic  and  am- 
bitious man  a  living  wage  is  assured  from  the  beginning, 
and  that  in  both,  as  time  will  prove,  advancement  will 
depend  wholly  upon  themselves. 

The  average  newspaper  reporter  receives  from  $12  to 
$20  a  week  for  the  first  year  or  two.  Thereafter,  if  he  is 
determined  not  to  remain  in  the  ranks  of  the  average, 
and  is  smart  enough  to  get  out  of  that  class,  his  pay  will 
be  increased  to  $35  or  $50  a  week.  Few  reporters,  the 
country  over,  receive  more  than  this,  but  the  work  pre- 
sents opportunities  for  special  writing  for  papers  and 
magazines  so  that,  as  in  any  of  the  professions,  the  income 
depends  entirely  upon  the  man's  resourcefulness,  and  his 
intelligence  and  activity.  An  industrious  reporter  may 
turn  his  attention  to  desk  work,  or  copy  reading  and 

112 


JOURNALISM,   COLLEGE,    PROFESSIONAL     113 

ultimately  become  a  city  editor,  managing  editor,  news 
editor,  or  editorial  writer  with  very  much  higher  pay. 
City  editors  on  large  dailies  receive  from  $2500  to  $5000  a 
year  or  even  more,  while  in  a  few  instances  the  salaries 
range  upward  to  $8000.  The  scale  for  managing  editors 
begins  at  $2500  and  goes  up  to  $10,000  or  $12,000  a  year. 
Some,  of  course,  are  paid  very  much  more  than  this,  but 
these  are  the  exceptions  not  to  be  considered  as  representa- 
tive of  the  professions.  Where  such  attractive  salar- 
ies are  paid  the  positions  are  filled  with  grave  responsi- 
bilities calling  for  a  wide  range  of  world-knowledge  of 
men  and  affairs,  and  for  the  best  executive  talent.  Com- 
petition in  the  newspaper  field  of  employment  is  keen 
and  the  demand  for  brains  is  constant.  Only  the  best 
reach  the  top  of  the  ladder,  and  these,  usually,  are  spe- 
cialists. 

A  reporter,  eager  to  get  ahead  rapidly,  will  give  his 
attention  to  things  outside  the  day's  routine.  He  will 
study  some  particular  subject  upon  which  he  may, 
eventually,  become  an  authority,  and  so  be  in  position 
to  command  higher  pay.  Every  large  newspaper  needs 
specialists  in  municipal  government,  political  science, 
finance,  literature  and  the  drama.  Experts  in  any  of 
these  subjects  are  seldom  idle,  and  very  frequently  receive 
the  highest  salaries.  It  is  distinctly  important  not  to 
be  an  average  reporter.  The  profession  is  filled  with 
them. 

In  nearly  all  universities  offering  courses  in  journalism 
the  work  covers  the  entire  scope  of  newspaper  making. 
This  includes  materials  and  methods;  organization; 
comparative  journalism;  history  of  American  journalism; 


ii4       JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

interpretation  of  the  news;  advertising;  newspaper 
administration;  magazine  writing;  the  short  story; 
editorial  problems  and  policies;  editorial  practice;  the 
mechanics  of  printing,  and  the  art  of  printing. 


NOTES  ON  NEWSPAPER  HISTORY 

The  Chinese  were  printing  with  wooden  type, 
large  blocks  with  which  they  made  impressions  in  some 
way  not  recorded  in  history,  long  before  printing  or 
presses  were  thought  of  in  other  countries. 

Printing  from  movable  types  was  invented  by  Guten- 
berg about  1440. 

Journalism  undoubtedly  had  its  beginning  in  Rome. 
The  Ada  Diurna,  on  tablets  or  manuscript,  reported  the 
general  news,  such  as  fires,  executions,  storms  and  other 
happenings. 

News  was  distributed  before  the  era  of  newspapers 
in  letters  and  circulars  written  in  Venice,  Nuremberg, 
Paris,  London  and  other  European  cities,  and  in  Boston, 
in  this  country.  There  is  evidence  of  these  letters  in 
1536,  a  century  after  type  and  ink  had  appeared. 

The  first  newspaper  in  the  United  States  was  pub- 
lished at  Boston  in  1690  by  Benjamin  Harris.  It  was 
called  "Public  Occurrences,  both  Foreign  and  Domestic." 
It  lived  only  one  day.  The  government  suppressed  it. 

Nearly  fourteen  years  later,  April  24,  1704,  the 
Boston  News-Letter  was  issued.  The  title  was  changed 
later  to  Massachusetts  Gazette  and  Boston  News-Letter ', 
by  Richard  Draper.  The  character  of  the  paper  was 
antagonistic  to  the  rising  spirit  of  independence  and 
allegiance  to  British  rule,  and  this  spirit  continued  when 
the  paper  was  published  by  Draper's  widow.  It  was 
the  only  paper  printed  in  Boston  during  the  siege,  and 


n6       JOURNALISM  FOR  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

it  ceased  to  appear  when  the  British  troops  evacuated 
the  city. 

From  1690  to  1775  many  papers  were  started  but 
were  discontinued,  usually  for  political  reasons.  The 
most  noteworthy  of  these  was  the  Boston  Gazette,  1719- 
1754.  A  paper  deserving  special  mention  was  the  New 
Boston  Gazette,  published  by  Edes  in  1735.  This  was 
an  able  and  dignified  paper  to  which  Otis,  Samuel  Adams 
and  Warren  were  contributors. 

The  New  England  C our  ant  appeared  August  7,  1721. 
It  has  been  distinguished  in  history  as  the  paper  on  which 
Benjamin  Franklin  began  his  career  as  an  apprentice. 
It  was  edited  by  a  brother,  James  Franklin.  His  vig- 
orous and  fearless  editorials  created  a  sensation.  He 
published'  the  news  under  serious  difficulties.  Franklin 
was  soon  in  trouble  with  the  clergy — especially  with 
Cotton  Mather  and  Increase  Mather,  stern  and  merciless, 
and  of  great  influence  in  their  day — and  finally  with  the 
government  officers.  The  comments  of  the  C  our  ant 
produced  so  much  trouble  and  scandal  in  the  little  town 
that  its  issue  was  forbidden,  except  under  very  arbitrary 
restrictions.  Franklin  was  imprisoned  for  attempting  to 
evade  these  restrictions.  In  1722  Benjamin  Franklin, 
then  only  16  years  old,  became  editor  and  publisher  and 
continued  those  duties  for  several  months.  The  same 
spirit  of  independence  characterized  his  work.  The 
paper  was  finally  abandoned  in  1727.  The  Franklins 
removed  to  Newport,  R.  I.,  where  they  established  the 
Gazette  in  1732.  From  1729  to  1769  Benjamin  Franklin 
published  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette. 

During  the  period  of  the  Revolution  and  the  days  of 


NOTES    ON    NEWSPAPER  HISTORY       117 

unsettled  government  that  followed,  many  stirring  papers 
were  published.  Probably  the  most  noted  of  these  was 
the  Massachusetts  Spy,  published  by  Isaiah  Thomas, 
a  distinguished  journalist  and  author.  The  paper  was 
very  outspoken  in  denouncing  the  British  government, 
and  for  this  was  forced  to  move  to  Worcester,  Mass. 
The  transfer  was  made  on  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton, 1776. 

Until  1725,  Boston  and  New  York  were  the  only  cities 
having  newspapers. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  struggle  for  independence, 
1775,  the  New  England  colonies  had  thirteen  newspapers. 

The  oldest,  but  not  the  first,  newspaper  in  the  United 
States  is  the  New  Hampshire  Gazette,  founded  in  1756, 
known  as  the  " father  of  the  New  England  press."  It  is 
still  issued  under  its  original  name. 

The  first  daily  newspaper  published  in  the  United 
States  was  the  New  York  Journal  and  Register,  1788. 

One  of  the  historical  papers  of  the  period  was  the 
Boston  Liberator,  established  Jan.  i,  1831.  This  was  an 
abolitionist  paper,  published  by  William  Lloyd  Garrison. 
So  bitter  were  its  denunciations  of  the  existing  conditions 
of  slavery  that  the  state  government  offered  a  half  mil- 
lion dollars  reward  to  any  one  who  would  cause  the  editor 
to  be  arrested  and  brought  to  trial.  The  paper  was  sus- 
pended December  30,  1861,  but  the  editor  lived  to  see 
slavery  abolished. 

The  period  of  immense  expansion  in  journalism  in 
the  United  States  began  about  1830,  on  the  establishing 
of  the  great  New  York  dailies. 

The  Daily  Sun  was  the  first  penny  paper  in  the 


n8        JOURNALISM   FOR  HIGH   SCHOOLS 

United  States.  It  was  established  in  1833.  The  paper 
was  reorganized  by  Charles  A.  Dana  in  1868,  and  gained 
wide  repute  for  its  concise  news  items  and  brilliant 
editorials. 

Harper's  Weekly,  now  merged  with  the,  Independent, 
is  the  oldest  of  the  illustrated  weeklies.  It  was  founded 
in  1857.  In  1875  the  New  York  Graphic  was  the  only 
illustrated  daily  paper. 

The  Civil  War  produced  Sunday  newspapers.  Before 
the  Battle  of  Bull  Run,  the  citizens  of  New  York  and 
Chicago  frowned  at  the  thought  of  a  Sunday  newspaper. 
As  in  London  and  Edinburgh  today,  they  would  not 
sanction  it.  But  when  there  were  a  million  men  in  arms, 
and  the  whole  Nation  trembled  with  the  thunder  of  can- 
non, anxious  parents,  fearful  wives,  knowing  that  the 
battle  was  on,  could  not  wait  until  Monday  morning  for 
news  from  the  front. 

But  if  the  war  did  much  for  the  press,  newspaper 
men  did  much  for  liberty.  To  supply  the  people  of  the 
country  with  news  from  the  field,  a  veritable  army  of 
war  correspondents  was  organized  and  a  telegraphic 
system  perfected  that  resulted  in  the  founding  of  the 
Associated  Press. 

In  the  beginning  of  newspaper  history  one  man, 
usually,  was  editor,  publisher  and  printer.  Next  came 
the  reporter.  In  the  Seventeenth  Century  the  special 
or  war  correspondent  appeared  here  and  there,  but  did  not 
gain  a  recognized  place  in  the  newspaper  world  until  the 
Crimean  War,  and  not  in  the  United  States  until  the 
Civil  War.  Now  every  great  daily  has  its  special  cor- 
respondents in  every  war  and  at  every  great  event  in 


NOTES  ON  NEWSPAPER  HISTORY       119 

addition  to  the  service  of  the  Associated  Press  and  other 
organized  news  agencies. 

The  Associated  Press  is  a  co-operative  association  of 
newspapers.  In  addition  to  a  staff  of  reporters  or  cor- 
respondents in  the  principal  cities  of  the  world  this 
organization  and  others  similar  in  purpose  have  agents 
who  are  permitted  to  use  the  proofsheets  of  member- 
newspapers  before  those  papers  go  to  press.  In  this  way 
all  the  available  news  is  obtained  for  telegraphic  transmis- 
sion to  other  points  where  member-newspapers  are  pub- 
lished. These  members  pay  pro  rata  shares  of  the  ex- 
penses of  the  news  association,  the  amount  to  be  paid 
being  determined  according  to  the  service  given.  Some 
papers  use  the  entire  twenty-four-hour  report  while  others 
take  only  the  news  sent  for  an  evening  or  morning  paper. 
The  news  agencies  described  provide,  also,  what  is  called 
a  "Pony  service,"  condensed  especially  for  daily  papers 

in  small  cities. 

•  

The  books  named  in  the  following  list  will  be  a  valua- 
ble addition  to  the  high  school  library;  they  may  be 
obtained  from  any  large  bookstore: 

Authors  and  Publishers,  A  Manual  of  Suggestions  for 
Beginners  in  Literature.  G.  H.  Putnam  and  J.  B.  Putnam. 

Practical  Journalism.     Edwin  L.  Shuman. 

Making  a  Newspaper.     John  L.  Given. 

Making  a  Country  Newspaper.     A.  J.  Munson. 

The  Writing  of  News.     Charles  G.  Ross. 

Writing  for  the  Press.     Robert  Luce. 

Reporting  for  the  Newspapers.     Charles  Hemstreet. 

Proofreading  and  Punctuation.     Adele  M.  Smith. 


ENGLISH 
Journalism  for  High  Schools  (Charles  Dillon).. . . 

Tells  you  how  to  organize  every  department  of  news- 
paper work ;  provides  excellent  models  for  the  school 
paper;  shows  how  to  get  business  to  support  it,  and 
goes  carefully  into  every  item  likely  to  be  needed  in 
this  branch  of  the  work. 

Newspaper  Writing  in  High  Schools  (L.  N.  Flint)... 

In  several  states  Newspaper  Writing  is  being  intro- 
duced as  an  English  optional;  and  in  some  schools  which 
have  no  such  course  there  is  a  tendency  to  modify 
methods  of  teaching  English  composition  to  conform  to 
the  principles  and  technique  of  newswriting.  Prof. 
Flint's  (Department  of  Journalism,  University  of 
Kansas)  chief  object  in  writing  this  book  was  to  en- 
courage the  growing  interest  in  newspaper  writing  in 
High  Schools. 

Graded  Exercises  in  Punctuation  and  Use  of 
Capitals  (Elmer  W.  Smith) 

Method  Unique,  Rules  Clear,  Exercises  Cumulative, 
Convenient  Form,  Saves  Time,  Good  Models. 

Graded  Sentences  for  Analysis  (Rossman-Mills)... 

1200  sentences  for  analysis  or  diagraming.  Can  be 
used  in  connection  with  any  standard  Grammar. 

English  Grammar  Drill  (Gemmill) 

Preparatory  to  the  study  of  Latin. 
Graded  Dictation  Speller  (Rossman-Mills) 

Book  I  (For  4th  and  5th  Grades) 

Book  II  (For  6th,  7th  and  8th  Grades) 

New  Orthography  and  Orthoepy  (Frank  V.  Irish) 

Fundamentals  of  the  English  Language.  Over 
166,000  copies  sold. 

American  and  British  Authors  (Frank  V.  Irish). 

An  American  text-book  on  Literature,  giving  our 
own  great  authors  first  place,  without  disparaging  or 
slighting  British  authors. 

One  Term  with  American  Authors  (Frank  V.  Irish) 
Treasured  Thoughts  (Frank  V.  Irish) 

From  the  world's  best  Literature. 
Short  Stories  (by  Harvard  Men)  Maynadier. . . . 

The  best  stories  written  by  Prof.  Maynadier's  ad- 
vanced classes  in  English  at  Harvard  University. 


YC  50079 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  LIBRARY 


